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Report:2015
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Date
Incidents
January - 3 
The four major international airports of India in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata constitute about 94 per cent of instances of drugs smuggling and seizures, according to Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) data, The Times of India reports on January 4. Out of a total 63 incidents of narcotics detectio
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The four major international airports of India in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata constitute about 94 per cent of instances of drugs smuggling and seizures, according to Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) data, The Times of India reports on January 4. Out of a total 63 incidents of narcotics detection and seizure at airports in the country in 2013, 59 were reported from these air facilities, one of the largest hubs in terms of passenger and cargo load. Only six per cent of cases were detected at the airports of Guwahati (Assam), Bangalore (Karnataka)and Madurai (Tamil Nadu).While Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport reported a total of 17 drugs seizure cases during the said period, the Chennai airport had 16 such instances while Kolkata and Mumbai airports registered 13 such instances each during 2013. Over 1,026 kilograms of narcotics, including Ketamine, Ganja, Heroin, Ephedrine and Pseudoephedrine were seized from these air facilities during the year leading to the arrest of 75 people under the provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, the data said."Drug couriers are largely intercepted and detected at international airports as they have the facility of being connected to foreign shores. Instances of both the consignment being sent out of India or being brought in have been detected under these seizures," a senior anti-narcotics official said.
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January - 11 
According to sources in the State Home Ministry, 70% of Maharashtra’s coastline is still vulnerable and can be used as landing points by infiltrators at any time, reports Hindustan Times on January 12. This comes after security agencies recently assessed coastal security after crew members of a Paki
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According to sources in the State Home Ministry, 70% of Maharashtra’s coastline is still vulnerable and can be used as landing points by infiltrators at any time, reports Hindustan Times on January 12. This comes after security agencies recently assessed coastal security after crew members of a Pakistani boat allegedly blew it up when it was intercepted about 356km from Porbandar in Gujarat. Sources said it is the state’s 1,020km-long creek line that poses more of a threat to coastal security than the 720km-long coastline. This is because the creek line is diverse and criss-cross according to the regional dimensions, making it difficult to keep a track of vessels, sources said. Also, most of the creeks have a mangrove cover, which lowers visibility, making them easy hideouts.
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January - 14 
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) in its report to the Home Ministry said that a group of Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) terror suspects who have been dodging intelligence agencies since their escape from Khandwa jail in Madhya Pradesh in October 2013 are believed to be involved in
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The National Investigation Agency (NIA) in its report to the Home Ministry said that a group of Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) terror suspects who have been dodging intelligence agencies since their escape from Khandwa jail in Madhya Pradesh in October 2013 are believed to be involved in the Bengaluru Church Street bombing on December 28, 2014, reports Hindustan Times on January 15. The report said that the suspects, weeks before they struck at Bengaluru, had also planted an explosive in Roorkee in Haridwar District of Uttarakhand on December 6, 2014 to target Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) Sangeet Som to allegedly take revenge for the Muzaffarnagar riots. In its report, the NIA has also pointed out that Shaikh Mehboob (25), Amjad (25), Mohammed Aslam (26), Mohammed Aijajuddin (30) and Zakir Hussain (32) were members of the banned SIMI and believed to be involved in the Pune Ganesh temple blast in July 10, 2014 and the Guwahati-Bengaluru express blast at Chennai in May 1, 2014. They had also attempt to create an explosive in Uttar Pradesh’s Bijnore in September 12, 2014. The NIA has based its assessment on the similarity in the explosives and detonators analysed in context of intelligence inputs.
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January - 18 
According to statistics from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), in the three years up to 2013, registered cases of cyber crime in India were up 350%, from 966 to 4,356, reports Business Standard on January 19. Report said that as cyber crime rises, there are indications that the criminal-just
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According to statistics from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), in the three years up to 2013, registered cases of cyber crime in India were up 350%, from 966 to 4,356, reports Business Standard on January 19. Report said that as cyber crime rises, there are indications that the criminal-justice system is unable to cope, with a minuscule percentage of convictions reported, although there is no reliable, nationwide data. “Illegal gains” and “harassment” are the top cyber crime motives, the data reveal. The majority of crimes are registered under “others”; 2,144 cases were registered in this category in 2013. Data show that the age group of 18-30 accounts for the highest percentage of cyber crime with 1,638 persons arrested in the age bracket out of a total arrests of 3,301 in 2013. Maharashtra accounts for the most persons arrested under the Information Technology (IT) Act, 2000, and Uttar Pradesh reported the most arrests under the older Indian Penal Code (IPC).
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January - 21 
Intelligence Bureau (IB) has prepared a list of 200 militants from different terror outfits which could try to carry out a strike to disrupt the Republic Day (January 26) celebrations at which United State (US) President Barack Obama will be the chief guest, reports The Times of India on January 22.
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Intelligence Bureau (IB) has prepared a list of 200 militants from different terror outfits which could try to carry out a strike to disrupt the Republic Day (January 26) celebrations at which United State (US) President Barack Obama will be the chief guest, reports The Times of India on January 22. Top Government sources said that the list has been shared with the security agencies involved in making arrangements for Obama's visit to New Delhi. Report said that this year, maximum number of spotters and informers drawn from IB, Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW), anti-terror squads of Delhi, Maharashtra, Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh (UP) and others states - around 2000 - are being deployed in the capital as the authorities are trying to leave nothing to chance. The list includes militants of Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), Hizbul Mujahideen (HM), Harkat-ul-Jehad-al-Islami (HuJI), Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), Indian Mujahideen (IM), Students' Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), Sikh militant groups, CPI-Maoist and North-East based organisations among others. The list also mentions the five absconding SIMI members who fled from Khandwa jail in Madhya Pradesh last year. The security agencies have been warned that some terrorists may change their appearance and try to mingle with the crowd. The large number of spotters will keep a special vigil on Rajpath and India Gate areas as also the entire Republic Day parade route. The details, sketches and photographs of all those shared regularly by US secret service, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) are also being shared with the personnel who would be on special anti-terror duty on the ground on January 26.
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March - 21 
As many as four Indians are learnt to have died fighting battles in Iraq and Syria alongside Islamic State (IS)ever since it captured power in parts of the region, The Times of India reports on March 22. These are part of around 10 Indians whose connection with IS has been confirmed by the intellige
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As many as four Indians are learnt to have died fighting battles in Iraq and Syria alongside Islamic State (IS)ever since it captured power in parts of the region, The Times of India reports on March 22. These are part of around 10 Indians whose connection with IS has been confirmed by the intelligence agencies. As many as 20 more of Indian origin but hailing from United States (US), United Kingdom (UK) and Europe are learnt to be engaged in propaganda activity for the outfit. Interestingly, however, only one of the four deceased had gone to the battle zone from India. Rest all are of Indian origin but were holed up in various countries for several years. The only direct export from India to have died in Syria is Shaheem Tanki. The other three include Karnataka's Bhatkal-born Sultan Armar from Pakistan, one youth from Saudi Arabia and another from a South East Asian country. Apart from these, there has been only one more fidayeen (suicide attacker) from India, Anwer Hussain, who died in 2014 in Afghanistan. However, all these deaths are yet to be confirmed by the intelligence agencies independently. Deaths of both Tanki and Armar were confirmed by the agencies through calls that were made to their respective families from Syria informing them of their ward's death. It must be noted that a similar call had been received in case of another IS recruit from Kalyan, Areeb Majid, who later returned to India and was arrested by National Investigation Agency (NIA). Sources said intelligence agencies have also confirmed that there are at least two former Indian Mujahideen (IM) operatives who joined IS recently. "While one, Armar, is learnt to be dead now, another is still there. They had both been holed up in Pakistan since 2008. Anwer, who died in Afghanistan last year, also belonged to IM," said a security establishment officer. One Indian youth is also learnt to have joined the outfit from Singapore. The officer further said, India was in a much better position as neighbouring Pakistan had seen close to 50 youths joining IS since it captured power in parts of Syria last year.
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March - 25 
Citing the November 26, 2008 (26/11) Mumbai (Maharashtra) terror attack and four other cases, the March 25, 2015 released FBI 9/11 Review Commission report concluded that Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) needs faster reforms to transform itself into a threat-based, intelligence-driven organisat
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Citing the November 26, 2008 (26/11) Mumbai (Maharashtra) terror attack and four other cases, the March 25, 2015 released FBI 9/11 Review Commission report concluded that Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) needs faster reforms to transform itself into a threat-based, intelligence-driven organisation, New Indian Express reports on March 26. One of the key plotters of 26/11, Pakistani-American David Coleman Headley, the report noted "had previously come to the attention of US law enforcement authorities but FBI officials repeatedly concluded that Headley did not pose a threat at the time." "The increasingly complex and dangerous threat environment it faces will require no less," said the report which studied FBI investigations into five "significant terrorism events." In none of those cases did a confidential source "provide actionable intelligence to help prevent or respond to a terrorist operation," the report said. In December 2007, Headley's Moroccan wife complained to US officials at the US Embassy in Islamabad (Capital of Pakistan) that her husband was a terrorist. But the FBI investigation of Headley did not begin until 2009, and it was triggered by a tip that originated outside the FBI that revealed his relationships with extremists abroad, the report said. "One of the main lessons from the Headley case is that absent an intelligence effort across the US Intelligence Community to understand the connections among cases and complaints across field offices, relevant intelligence may fall by the wayside," it said. News outlets, it noted, have reported, prior to his terrorist activities, Headley had worked as a Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) informant in the late 1990s and the early 2000s, following two heroin trafficking arrests. "A single complaint may be more easily dismissed as a poison pen motive, but several unrelated complaints should not be dismissed as readily as the work of a malcontent," the report said. "The Headley case raises the important question faced by all intelligence agencies - certainly important to the FBI - of how to scan and assess voluminous amounts of collected information strategically and identifying valuable intelligence leads," the report said. "Still, more than a decade after 9/11, the FBI must prioritize empowering and equipping its analytic cadre to make these connections with cutting edge technology, to minimize the risk of the FBI missing important intelligence information," it said. "The FBI had no knowledge of Headley's connections to Lashkar-i-Taiba (LeT) until provided with a tip that originated outside the FBI that prompted the investigation in 2009.
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March - 28 
India intelligence agencies will engage with their Sri Lankan counterparts to crack down on what they describe as the “growing influence of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI)” in the region, particularly with the active support of the staff of Pakistan’s embassy in Colombo, The Asian Age reports
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India intelligence agencies will engage with their Sri Lankan counterparts to crack down on what they describe as the “growing influence of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI)” in the region, particularly with the active support of the staff of Pakistan’s embassy in Colombo, The Asian Age reports on March 29. Top intelligence sources said there was concrete information that some Pakistani High Commission staff were using their diplomatic cover in promoting ISI’s anti-India activities. “During the regime of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, there was a sense that his government was trying to form a better alliance with both China and Pakistan due to which we were slight apprehensive about discussing these issues. But now that Maithripala Sirisena has assumed charge as the new President, we feel there will be greater coordination between Indian and Sri Lankan security agencies,” a senior intelligence official said. Indian intelligence agencies have been closely monitoring activities of the ISI in Colombo, particularly after a Sri Lankan-born ISI spy, was arrested in April, 2014 in Chennai (Tamil Nadu). A detailed intelligence dossier prepared by Central agencies in the wake of this incident had also warned that the future threat to India’s internal security could well come from the sea route in Sri Lanka as the ISI, assisted by Pakistani High Commission staff, was trying to increase its anti-India operations there.
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April - 9 
In the data on terror financing tabulated from 2006 till date, terror finances to the tune of INR 148.5 million have been recovered by National Investigation Agency (NIA) and Police of 15 states, reports The Times of India on April 10. The NIA has surpassed the states in recovery of terror finances
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In the data on terror financing tabulated from 2006 till date, terror finances to the tune of INR 148.5 million have been recovered by National Investigation Agency (NIA) and Police of 15 states, reports The Times of India on April 10. The NIA has surpassed the states in recovery of terror finances despite starting operations as late as 2009. According to the report, the agency seized INR 36.6 million in terror funds in 11 cases investigated by it since its inception. As many as 101 persons are accused in these cases. Jammu and Kashmir ranks second only to NIA in seizures. The state seized INR 29.3 million in 80 terror financing cases since 2006, in which 190 persons are accused. Manipur, despite its small size, reported terror fund seizures worth INR 21.1 million in 26 cases, followed by Delhi which seized INR 19.2 million in 21 cases. Madhya Pradesh accounted for seizure of terror finances worth INR 16.4 million, while Odisha Police seized around INR 11.2 million. Though Karnataka, Gujarat and Kerala registered 14, three and one terror financing case respectively under Unlawful Activities [Prevention] Act (UAPA), they did not report any seizure since 2006. As many as 213 terror financing cases were registered by NIA and various state Police, in which 873 persons are accused. J&K reported the highest number of cases (80), followed by Manipur (26) and Delhi (21). In terms of number of those accused of terror financing, J&K ranked first (190) followed by NIA (101) and Maharashtra (98).
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April - 11 
Glaring loopholes in Maharashtra's coastal security were exposed in a recent report of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), which pointed to such problems as inadequate infrastructure, reports dnaindia.com on April 11. The CAG, in its report on the general and social sector for the year has po
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Glaring loopholes in Maharashtra's coastal security were exposed in a recent report of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), which pointed to such problems as inadequate infrastructure, reports dnaindia.com on April 11. The CAG, in its report on the general and social sector for the year has pointed to deficiencies in planning for the scheme, delays in construction of coastal police stations and check posts, and infrastructure and manpower shortage. The CAG report also said that 57 per cent of the non-technical staff posted in the coastal Police Stations did not possess swimming skills. This was despite the government having issued a circular which made swimming skills mandatory for staff deployed for coastal security. The boats to be used for patrolling were under-utilised, with Districts like Ratnagiri reporting just 8.47 per cent utilisation. The report added that the five coastal Districts had a manpower shortage of 40.02 per cent posts with the gap in deployment of technical staff for boat operations being 51.21 per cent. The highest shortfall of non-technical staff was highest at 65.85 per cent in Mumbai. This led to the state government hiring technical manpower on contract basis. "The desirability of engaging contract staff for such sensitive operations needs to be reassessed by the Government as it is fraught with certain obvious risks," the report said.
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April - 16 
A confidential and thorough combing, in addition to security checks has been conducted along the coast of Palghar in Maharashtra, which adjoins the international waters of Pakistan, dnaindia.com reports on April 17. This examination was done after the Commissioner of the Government Railway Police (G
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A confidential and thorough combing, in addition to security checks has been conducted along the coast of Palghar in Maharashtra, which adjoins the international waters of Pakistan, dnaindia.com reports on April 17. This examination was done after the Commissioner of the Government Railway Police (GRP) alerted the Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS) of possible terror attacks, via the sea route in the city. A senior officer with Palghar Police requested anonymity, and said: "We have a one week posting in the sea, and will have to be in the waters to check suspicious activities. This comes after a terror alert to the ATS, and various agencies are involved in this operation." Calling the incident a confidential part of the coastal policing, Prashant Burde, Inspector General from Konkan range, said: "We have been always alert regarding coastal security, and therefore cannot disclose the details of the operation."
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April - 22 
A high level committee of three Members of Parliament (MP) have found several lacuna in the current security status of Parliament, dnaindia.com reports on April 23. The panel was constituted by Lok Sabha (Lower House of Indian Parliament) in August last year under the chairmanship of Bharatiya Janat
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A high level committee of three Members of Parliament (MP) have found several lacuna in the current security status of Parliament, dnaindia.com reports on April 23. The panel was constituted by Lok Sabha (Lower House of Indian Parliament) in August last year under the chairmanship of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP, RK Singh (former union home secretary) with two other BJP MPs - former Rajasthan DGP Harish Chandra Meena and former Mumbai Police Commissioner Satyapal Singh. The stock taking done by the panel has revealed that out of 450 CCTV (close circuit television) cameras installed in the Parliament premises, at least 100 were not functional thus leaving ample scope for any miscreant with a little knowledge to pose a security threat. The panel has also found out that there are scant facilities to screen visitors properly who enter the parliament in hoards. It has suggested installation of full body scanners and high tech under vehicle scanning system for vehicles to know if anything suspicious is being carried in their underbelly. The panel also found dearth of bulletproof jackets for security personnel who guard the complex and man all the 12 gates. After taking a close look of the report, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh has found the lapses glaring and decided to install all the suggested security arrangements
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April - 29 
The Indian security establishment has alerted the Government about the activities of Islamic State (IS) in the Af-Pak region, named as the Wilayat Khurasan-WK (Khurasan Province) by the terror group, The Times of India reports on April 30. The alert was about the possible linkages of top WK leaders
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The Indian security establishment has alerted the Government about the activities of Islamic State (IS) in the Af-Pak region, named as the Wilayat Khurasan-WK (Khurasan Province) by the terror group, The Times of India reports on April 30. The alert was about the possible linkages of top WK leaders with the Pakistani establishment. India's external intelligence agency R&AW (Research and Analysis Wing) has, in a recent report to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), pointed out how WK's military leader Asmatullah Muawiya, formerly linked to Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and al Qaeda, had made peace with the Pakistan Army last year (2014) and threatened India "in the recent times". The agency also noted that a former Guantanamo Bay detainee, who was shifted to Pakistan's custody in 2008, Abdul Rahim Muslim Dost, had been appointed as WK's religious head and a judge. He is a key member of a salafi group of Kunar, the Jamaat ul Dawa al Quran, which has links with Lashker-e-Taiba (LeT) elements in the tribal areas of Af-Pak region. According to the intelligence agencies, IS was differentiating between the developments in Af-Pak and the Middle East and North Africa. "It is pertinent to recall that while announcing Wilayats across the Middle East and North Africa, the IS had not named any groups or leaders, but it did so for the WK...while it asked the wilayats in the Middle East and North Africa to carry out jihad locally, it called on the soldiers of WK to join the jihad in Syria and Iraq," said the RAW report.
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May - 7 
A recent study by the USA based consortium Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START) entitled "The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant: Branding, Leadership Culture and Lethal Attraction" noted that the IS is unlike al Qaeda and its affiliates. The study has also sought to understand th
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A recent study by the USA based consortium Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START) entitled "The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant: Branding, Leadership Culture and Lethal Attraction" noted that the IS is unlike al Qaeda and its affiliates. The study has also sought to understand the IS as any organisation in an industry, in this case, the jihad industry. Interestingly, it states that the IS has "adopted several best practices of other industries". The study compares the IS to the Nigeria based terror outfit Boko Haram (BH). It notes that unlike the BH, which destroys telecommunications and power installations to stun and paralyse security forces, the IS, on the other hand makes "strong efforts to control critical infrastructure". The study goes on to reason that this makes the organisation a service provider and has helped in "garnering local civilian support and the support of the local elite."
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May - 21 
According to a recent analysis of the terror risk to 1,300 commercial hubs and urban centres around the world by Maplecroft, a global risk and strategic consulting firm based in United Kingdom (UK), two Indian cities - Imphal in Manipur (ranked 32) and Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir (ranked 49) have
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According to a recent analysis of the terror risk to 1,300 commercial hubs and urban centres around the world by Maplecroft, a global risk and strategic consulting firm based in United Kingdom (UK), two Indian cities - Imphal in Manipur (ranked 32) and Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir (ranked 49) have been named to be at "extreme risk" of a terrorist attacks, mainly aiming to cause mass casualty and destroy public transport networks, reports The Times of India on May 22. The next major Indian city after these two that faces a terrorist threat is Chennai in Tamil Nadu even though the risk quotient has been marked as medium risk. Bangalore in Karnataka is the fourth most prone city even though it is placed at 204th in the global threat list followed by Pune (Maharashtra) and Hyderabad (Telangana) at 206th and 207th respectively. Cities like Nagpur in Maharashtra (ranked 210) and Kolkata in West Bengal (ranked 212) have been found to face a higher risk of a mass attack by terrorists that the usually expected targets like Delhi (ranked 447) and Mumbai (ranked 298). The analysis said that around 64 cities around the world are at "extreme" risk, with most in the Middle East and Asian region and three in Europe. Head of Maplecroft India, Arvind Ramakrishnan said "When it comes to Imphal and Srinagar, terrorist attacks aren't on commercial targets as much as against the security forces. However in most of the other metropolitan cities, the targets are both to cause mass casualty and cripple its commercial hubs. Public transport networks in India are also prime targets". He added "The 26/11 Mumbai attack in 2008 was the turning point for India. But lack of intelligence sharing among states is a big worry. Law and order is still a state subject in India and political rivalries across states leads to state intelligence agencies not sharing actionable data. Virtually all police forces in India lack modern equipment and adequate manpower to counter a terrorist threat. This brings down the overall morale of the force. India does not face threats from cross border terror organizations but also from home grown ones like the Indian Mujahideen (IM)".
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June - 1 
Police on June 1 submitted a 36,986-page long charge-sheet against suspected pro-Islamic State (IS) Twitter account handler Mehdi Masroor Biswas for waging war against India, based on his tweets on Jammu and Kashmir before the additional chief metropolitan magistrate in Bengaluru (Karnataka), report
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Police on June 1 submitted a 36,986-page long charge-sheet against suspected pro-Islamic State (IS) Twitter account handler Mehdi Masroor Biswas for waging war against India, based on his tweets on Jammu and Kashmir before the additional chief metropolitan magistrate in Bengaluru (Karnataka), reports The Times of India. Mehdi Biswas, suspected operator of the pro-IS Twitter account @ShamiWitness, was arrested from his Jalahalli apartment in Bengaluru on December 13, 2014, has also been charged with waging war against Asiatic powers allied with India and a host of other offenses. The charge-sheet, which names Mehdi Biswas as the only accused, comprises documentary evidence in the form of tweets and emails. Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime), M Chandrashekar said that "The tweets sent by Mehdi are clear evidence of his supporting and encouraging youths to join the movement. He has provided guidance for those who wanted to join it."
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June - 2 
According to report of Indian intelligence agencies, of the 11 youths of Indian origin who joined Islamic State (IS), six were from Gulf countries holding different passports and only five were resident Indians, The Times of India reports on June 3. The report, says five of the 11 youths have b
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According to report of Indian intelligence agencies, of the 11 youths of Indian origin who joined Islamic State (IS), six were from Gulf countries holding different passports and only five were resident Indians, The Times of India reports on June 3. The report, says five of the 11 youths have been killed, including two who joined from India. The Indian youths have been identified as Shaheen Tanki and Faiz Masood. The other three who joined the outfit from India are Arif Majeed, Aman Naeem Tandel and Fahad Tanvir Shaikh. Sources indicate the 11 youths were radicalised, recruited and trained by Islamic State after which they were sent to fight in Iraq and Syria. According to the report, "no Indian has joined ISIS in last six months".
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June - 28 
According to Union Ministry of Home Affairs (UMHA), over 600 people, including Security Forces personnel, have been killed in militant attacks and insurgencies in the north-eastern states of the country in last four years, reports The Assam Tribune on June 29. According to a Right to Information (RT
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According to Union Ministry of Home Affairs (UMHA), over 600 people, including Security Forces personnel, have been killed in militant attacks and insurgencies in the north-eastern states of the country in last four years, reports The Assam Tribune on June 29. According to a Right to Information (RTI) reply by UMHA, 614 people lost their lives, including 105 security personnel, in 3,493 militant attacks and extremist groups’ violence. Further as many as 721 militant and insurgents were killed by security forces between 2011 and May 31, 2015. Also INR 8120 million was disbursed among the north-eastern states in the last three years to strengthen the Police network. Between the 2012-13 and 2014-15 fiscal years, Assam received INR 3740 million under the Security Related Expenditure (SRE) scheme, while Nagaland received INR 1690 million. Among other states, Manipur and Tripura received INR 830 million and 810 million. Indian Express further adds that Arunachal Pradesh received INR 730 million and Meghalaya received INR 290 million.
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July - 26 
Indian companies are increasingly suffering enormous losses due to rising cyber attacks that leads to interruption of business and loss of customer data, dnaindia.com reports on July 27. However, with only 100-150 policies covering cyber crime liability insurance being sold in the country, majority
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Indian companies are increasingly suffering enormous losses due to rising cyber attacks that leads to interruption of business and loss of customer data, dnaindia.com reports on July 27. However, with only 100-150 policies covering cyber crime liability insurance being sold in the country, majority companies are inadequately protected against the growing menace, according to insurance companies. Financial sector that carries out financial transactions and handles cash is among the high-risk targets, but most banks in India, barring a few large private lenders, do not have cyber crime liability insurance. Industry officials said this could potentially lead to heavy business losses if the computer systems are hacked and customer data is stolen. According to Union Ministry of Home Affairs (UMHA) statistics, there have been 62,189 incidents of cyber frauds till June 2014. About 28,481 websites were hacked in India in 2013 and cyber crimes have cost India INR 24,630 crore in 2013, according to a Delhi High Court-commissioned report. India is ranked as one of the top three targets in cyber crime. According to available statistics, about 71,780 cyber frauds were reported in 2013, while 22,060 such cases were reported in 2012. Cyber terrorism is ranked as high a risk as political unrest. Industry experts say it could have a debilitating impact on companies and individuals. For example, if customers information is compromised in the US, the company has to individually inform each customer and the cost of notifying a customer may vary from USD 10 to USD 30.
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July - 31 
Cyberabad Police has sought the cooperation of United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to keep tabs on Rohingya refugees living illegally in Cyberabad and Hyderabad area amidst growing security concerns and stepped vigilance Indian Express reports on August 1. In November, 2014 Khalid
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Cyberabad Police has sought the cooperation of United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to keep tabs on Rohingya refugees living illegally in Cyberabad and Hyderabad area amidst growing security concerns and stepped vigilance Indian Express reports on August 1. In November, 2014 Khalid Mohammed, a Rohingya Muslim living in Hyderabad was arrested in connection with the October 2, 2014 Bardhaman (West Bengal) blasts. While Police has increased surveillance, it has no data on the number of Rohingya refugees and what they are doing. “Under the United National Refugee Convention, refugees coming from war-torn countries like Somalia, Ethiopia, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan and from Myanmar etc., are issued a ‘Refugee Certificate’ valid for 2 years and renewable after that. This is the only protecting document for them. But most of the refugees in Hyderabad- Cyberabad, have entered illegally and are staying illegally. Over a period of time, many of them have obtained voter ID cards, Aadhaar Cards, SIM cards and cell phones. But they not being monitored by security agencies and local police which is leading to security concerns,’’ an official said. As per records with Confederation of Voluntary Associations (COVA) which is associated with UNHCR, 1806 Myanmar refugees were registered with COVA and on physical verification, only 1725 refugees are presently staying camps in Hyderabad and Cyberabad Police Commissionerate areas. Only 461 Myanmar refugees were issued UNHCR cards and the others are under process. Officials said that the refugees are living at 10 different locations. At Camp-I in Balapur there are 298, Camp-II Balapur (150), Camp- III Balapur, Pahadishareef (87), Royal Colony(160), Near Fatima Masjid, Balapur (258), Baba Nagar, Kanchanbagh (412) Barkas, Chandrayangutta (51), Shaheen Nagar, Pahadishreef (127), Shastripuram, Mailardevpally (29), Kishanbagh, Bahadurpura (153). The Police Stations will start maintaining separate registers for the camps in their sectors for the above purpose. It is learnt that these Rohingyas are moving in and out of their settlements and travelling to Jammu and Kashmir and other states. From now on, they will have to inform the local Police Station, about their movement and also report to the police station upon their return. Their source of livelihood will also be enquired into and noted along with details of any bank accounts.
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July - 31 
Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs (Coastal Security) on July 31 expressed its "shock" over a special report prepared by the Intelligence Bureau (IB) which found that about 37 per cent of minor ports in the country are defenceless, reports NDTV. Further, a report of the Parliamentary S
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Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs (Coastal Security) on July 31 expressed its "shock" over a special report prepared by the Intelligence Bureau (IB) which found that about 37 per cent of minor ports in the country are defenceless, reports NDTV. Further, a report of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs (Coastal Security), tabled on July 31 has said the IB report should serve as an "alarm bell" for the government, especially at those ports which are located along the coastline of Gujarat and Maharashtra. The report noted that there are 203 non-major or minor ports, of which 45 are non-operational and 75 have no security force whatsoever. A number of the non-operational ports, 49 of them non-major ports, however were being used as landing points and jetties by fishermen. "The committee takes a very serious note on the grave deficiencies highlighted in the security audit report of Intelligence Bureau (IB) and is of the view that this report of IB should act as an alarm bell for the government, particularly with reference to such ports in Gujarat and Maharashtra," read the Standing Committee report. The IB report had said that out of the 30 of the non-major ports in question were in Gujarat and Maharashtra alone, with the rest spread out across the other coastal regions in the country. The report also noted that there were "several shortcomings" in the security arrangements at these ports, like the absence of x-ray scanners and non-maintenance of records of incoming or outgoing communications among others. "The Ministry of Home Affairs should support states/UTs by providing any required technical and financial assistance as well as monitoring regularly the implementation of the recommendations given in the security audit report," the panel said. The IB has suggested that CCTV cameras, bomb disposal squads, x-ray scanners, watch towers and additional patrolling should be mounted in and around these areas for effective vigil.
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July - 31 
The naval harbour at Kochi (Kerala) has become the first in the country to get a top-notch defence system which will enable operators to foresee, and respond to, surface and sub-surface threats to vital assets along the harbour and warships in the quay, The Hindu reports on August 1. The Integrated
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The naval harbour at Kochi (Kerala) has become the first in the country to get a top-notch defence system which will enable operators to foresee, and respond to, surface and sub-surface threats to vital assets along the harbour and warships in the quay, The Hindu reports on August 1. The Integrated Underwater Harbour Defence and Surveillance System (IUHDSS), a state-of-the-art automated system capable of detecting, identifying, tracking and generating warning for surface and underwater threats, was commissioned by Vice-Admiral Sunil Lanba, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Southern Naval Command, on July 31. The system, comprising a cluster of coastal surveillance radars, high-power underwater sensors and diver detection sonars, was designed by Israeli Aerospace Industries (IAI) ELTA.
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August - 2 
National Investigation Agency (NIA) has set up a special cell to monitor internet content and chatter that will also help the agency generate its own intelligence vis-a-vis terror investigations, The Times of India reports on August 3. For this, the agency has acquired state-of-the-art tools (softwa
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National Investigation Agency (NIA) has set up a special cell to monitor internet content and chatter that will also help the agency generate its own intelligence vis-a-vis terror investigations, The Times of India reports on August 3. For this, the agency has acquired state-of-the-art tools (software) from a US software giant. The tools, approved by National Informatics Centre (NIC) and Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) will help the agency cull out communication having certain key words related to any kind of terrorism or radicalisation attempt. They will also cull out suspect content across various platforms that could be put together to establish patterns through analysis. Until now, such tools were available only with Intelligence Bureau (IB) and Research and Analysis Wing (RAW). This makes NIA the only agency outside the intelligence set-up to be allowed such surveillance. "Terrorists are not talking over the phone anymore. That is why it took so many years to apprehend Indian Mujahideen (IM) operative Ahmed Zarar Siddibappa alias Yasin Bhatkal even as he continued executing blast after blast. Unless we enhance our cyber monitoring capabilities, we are always going to stay a step behind the terrorist. All terror plans, radicalization, recruitment are today being discussed over the internet," said an NIA official.
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August - 2 
The Brihanmumbai Electric Supply & Transport (BEST) has incurred a loss of over INR 3,00,000 from Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICN) given by commuters in the year 2013, Asian Age reports on August 3. Figures that have just come for 2013 show that commuters have been giving BEST conductors FICN of t
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The Brihanmumbai Electric Supply & Transport (BEST) has incurred a loss of over INR 3,00,000 from Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICN) given by commuters in the year 2013, Asian Age reports on August 3. Figures that have just come for 2013 show that commuters have been giving BEST conductors FICN of the denomination of INR 100, INR 500 and INR 1,000. According to the recently released document banks such as ICICI, Bank of India and CitiBank, where money is deposited at the end of the day, notified the undertaking about FICN in that year. According to the document, currency worth INR 2,70,750 was found to be fake. This came from the notes received from issuing daily tickets. The remaining loss of INR 1,34,800 came from those who bought bus passes. Of this amount, the BEST recovered INR 40,500 from commuters when they returned to renew their passes.
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August - 2 
The findings of the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI) study commissioned by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) stated the quantum of Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICN) in circulation nationwide at INR 4 billion at any given time, with INR 700 million entering the system every year, indicating t
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The findings of the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI) study commissioned by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) stated the quantum of Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICN) in circulation nationwide at INR 4 billion at any given time, with INR 700 million entering the system every year, indicating the scale of the economic security issue could be substantially lower than intelligence estimates, The Hindustan Times reports on August 3. “The ink, paper and other features used in fake notes in circulation here can be available only to sovereign nations for publishing their legal tender,” a Union Ministry of Home Affairs (UMHA) official said. The study estimated the overall incidence of FICN to be around 250 per million pieces. “We have reasons to believe that Pakistan is behind most of the fake currency notes being pushed here. We needed a scientific estimate of fake notes in circulation. That’s why the ISI was asked by the National Investigation Agency, the nodal agency in the matter, to carry out a study,” the official added. The study compiled data from all stakeholders: the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), Intelligence Bureau (IB), Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), Central Economic Intelligence Bureau (CEIB), Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and others. Data for the total value of FICN detected and seized in India and abroad over the last five years varied between INR 24 crore and INR 46 crore. The ISI has suggested a new system of reporting seized and detected fake notes as the existing one has a few lacunae that lead to duplication of reporting data.
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August - 19 
Cyber crimes witnessed a 69 per cent increase in 2014 with the maximum cases registered under the now-repealed Section 66A of Information Technology (IT) Act, according to 'Crime in India 2014' report published by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), according to Deccan Herald. Police registere
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Cyber crimes witnessed a 69 per cent increase in 2014 with the maximum cases registered under the now-repealed Section 66A of Information Technology (IT) Act, according to 'Crime in India 2014' report published by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), according to Deccan Herald. Police registered 9,622 cases of cyber crime in 2014 as against 5,693 in 2013 with Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh (UP) and Karnataka together accounting for 48.18 per cent of the cases across the country, the report said. While Maharashtra topped the list with 1,879 cases, a 107.2 per cent rise from 907 cases the previous year, Uttar Pradesh which came second with 1,737 cases, registered a 154.7 per cent hike from the previous year's figure of 682. Karnataka, witnessed 91.4 per cent rise in cyber crime cases from 533 in 2013 to 10,20 last year. The increase in cases was also reflected in the number of arrests, which reported a 74.3 per cent rise from 3,301 to 5,752. The report showed that the maximum number of cyber crimes were related to Section 66A, which was declared void by Supreme Court in March, 2015. A total of 4,192 cases or 44 per cent of cyber crimes were registered under this section in UP (898) and Karnataka (603). While, Assam registered 377 cases.
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August - 19 
The government introduced a standard format for recording seizures of Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICN), requiring all central and state agencies making such seizures to specify in detail the security features found on counterfeit notes, The Times of India reports on August 20. The agencies will now
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The government introduced a standard format for recording seizures of Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICN), requiring all central and state agencies making such seizures to specify in detail the security features found on counterfeit notes, The Times of India reports on August 20. The agencies will now have to share pre-forensic and post-forensic observation for fakeness based on the currency design or water mark, presence of fluorescence, security thread etc, which is expected to demarcate high-quality fake notes from low-quality ones. A complete database on source of the seized currency, transit route and modus operandi of printing work and distribution is expected to help retrace the FICN to Pakistan. This information may be used to corner Islamabad at bilateral and multilateral forums. As per the new proforma, central and state agencies seizing FICN must mention details of the case file, including date and place of seizure, apart from denomination wise series and note number, currency design (water mark), fluorescence present, security thread, whether notes are of high quality or low quality, and pre-FSL (Forensic Science Laboratory) and post-FSL observation for fakeness. In addition, information will have to be furnished on the source of the seized currency, transit route, modus operandi of printing work and modus operandi of dissemination and distribution of FICN. The agencies must mention the motive of the FICN circulation, inter-state or international link, and the mode of transportation used. As for the accused, the proforma seeks their full personal details. Besides name, address and nationality, the agencies will also have to mention the religion of the accused. Other details sought include past convictions and links to past cases. Aadhaar and passport numbers of the accused are also to be recorded. Apart from this, central and state agencies will have to file a final report or court disposal proforma for FICN seizures, furnishing details such as date of disposal by the police and court, decision on FICN, name and parentage of accused/convicted/acquitted/discharged and period of punishment of each accused.
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August - 25 
According to a list prepared by Union Ministry of Home Affairs (UMHA), 17 Indians are now ‘missing’, The Indian Express on August 26. As reported by Indian and foreign intelligence services, they are active with the Islamic State (IS) or rival organisations like Jabhat al-Nusra. In addition, up to
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According to a list prepared by Union Ministry of Home Affairs (UMHA), 17 Indians are now ‘missing’, The Indian Express on August 26. As reported by Indian and foreign intelligence services, they are active with the Islamic State (IS) or rival organisations like Jabhat al-Nusra. In addition, up to a dozen Indian Mujahideen (IM) cadres are also believed to have joined the Islamic State, while Police have stopped at least 22 volunteers from travelling. According to The Indian Express’ exclusive report, the 17 Indians - all young men, barring a woman who has returned home - were educated, most hailing from middle-class or affluent families with conventional aspirations. Few had known links to Islamist political groups, and none to terrorism. The report said that alarm bells have started to ring in the corridors of power as the UMHA discussed the issue with Directors General of Police and Home Secretaries from 12 states earlier this month. Intelligence agencies suspect that the Indians have joined the savage IS, despite Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh's assurance that India is safe from an IS threat. The report further said that even though the numbers are small, Government sources said, the action plan is based on mounting evidence that the Islamic State propaganda has found resonance among some young Muslims disenchanted with the community’s traditional religious and political leadership and angered by growing communal violence. Islamic State flags have come up at protests in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Jammu Kashmir; pro-Islamic State graffiti has been reported in West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh. Perhaps most important, support for the Islamic State is blossoming in underground blogs and chat-rooms. Islamic State propagandists have, in particular, been calling for educated volunteers, especially engineers and doctors, to help build an Islamic utopia.
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August - 25 
The investigation agencies trying to decipher the code note carried by Intezar Ali, suspected terrorist say the code has asked the "organizers" to target national leaders who will come to campaign in Bihar during the state's assembly elections, The Times of India reports on August 26. In addition,
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The investigation agencies trying to decipher the code note carried by Intezar Ali, suspected terrorist say the code has asked the "organizers" to target national leaders who will come to campaign in Bihar during the state's assembly elections, The Times of India reports on August 26. In addition, the agencies say that if there is a "considerable progress" in this, the "methodology" can be repeated in 2016 during Bengal's Assembly elections. The seized explosives, which also include detonators and gelatins, are similar to the ones that terrorist sleeper cells use. "It seems that the planning was at a nascent stage but the planning was being perfected to the minute detail. Maoists usually do not use timer-bombs to carry attacks on security personnel," a source said. A Ranchi-based sleeper cell of Indian Mujahideen (IM) had carried out blasts at Narendra Modi's rally in Patna even in 2013 that has led to security agencies not to ignore this lead. The accused Ali had earlier been in West Bengal from where he even secured a degree in alternate medicine as early as 2001. The accused has claimed he was a regular visitor at a Jhalda diabetes camp in Purulia District of West Bengal without actually explaining how he, originally a resident of Bihar, managed to build a four storey residence in a locality in Ranchi. Sources said that August 16, 2015 haul at Strand Road in Kolkata have strong links to the Ranchi haul. "While Sulphur was recovered at both places, it is the suspected stocking of RDX that has kept us worried," said an official. The Army intelligence, Jharkhand Special Branch and the central agencies are questioning Intezar in several rounds and several raids are planned across Bardhaman and Murshidabad Districts in the coming 72 hours.
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August - 26 
India had prepared a list of 22 lapses in Pakistan's investigation into the November 26, 2008 (26/11) terror attack in Mumbai (Maharashtra), and would have confronted Pakistan's National Security Advisor (NSA) Sartaj Aziz with it had the talks gone ahead as scheduled, Mumbai Mirror reports on August
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India had prepared a list of 22 lapses in Pakistan's investigation into the November 26, 2008 (26/11) terror attack in Mumbai (Maharashtra), and would have confronted Pakistan's National Security Advisor (NSA) Sartaj Aziz with it had the talks gone ahead as scheduled, Mumbai Mirror reports on August 27. The dossier says a lot of evidence was ignored and many were kept out of the investigations. The Indian government claims the conspiracy to attack Mumbai was hatched way back in 2005, while Pakistan has only investigated the 2007-2008 period. "They could have examined (David) Headley's wife Faiza Qutalah to get evidence against (Hafiz) Saeed," the dossier says. Qutalah, Headley's third wife whom he divorced just after the attacks, claims to have met Hafiz Saeed and was the first one to depose before the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The dossier again raises the question as to why the roles of Pakistani Army officers Major Iqbal and Major Sameer were not investigated. "It appears the FIA [Federal Investigation Agency] has investigated the Karachi part of the conspiracy whereas the beginning of the conspiracy, training, motivation etc which took place at Muzaffarabad, Muridke and Lahore has not been thoroughly covered," the dossier says. Importantly, the dossier claims Pakistani authorities have completely omitted investigations into the role of trainers including Abdul Rehman Makki, a Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operative in-charge of training. Makki is Saeed's brother-in-law. "The role of ISI [Inter-Services Intelligence] has been conveniently left out," the Indian dossier says. The dossier also raises questions into the role and whereabouts of those who facilitated the Mumbai attack by arranging for logistic support from Lahore to Karachi. The temporary Control Room in Karachi has also not been looked into, Indian authorities claim. The interrogation of attack mastermind Zaki-Ur-Rehman Lakhvi was also perfunctory, the dossier says, and exhaustive details of accomplices and associates were never sought. The list of suspects supplied by India was ignored and sources of the arms and explosives used in the attack haven't been disclosed. The India also complains that the investigations have been indifferent about Headley's activities in Pakistan. "Headley was intermittently given fake Indian currency by Major Iqbal for use in India. This aspect has not been covered by FIA," the dossier says.
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August - 27 
Fake notes are on the rise in India, In fiscal year 2014-15, Fake Indian Currency Note (FICN) in circulation rose 22 per cent to 5,94,446 pieces, according to the Reserve Bank of India's (RBI's) annual report, dnaindia reports on August 28. These are counterfeit notes that were detected in the banki
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Fake notes are on the rise in India, In fiscal year 2014-15, Fake Indian Currency Note (FICN) in circulation rose 22 per cent to 5,94,446 pieces, according to the Reserve Bank of India's (RBI's) annual report, dnaindia reports on August 28. These are counterfeit notes that were detected in the banking system. While 95.6 per cent of these notes were detected by commercial banks, 4.4 per cent were detected at RBI offices. The number of counterfeit notes detected increased for all denominations, except for INR 2 and INR 5, which are almost out of circulation, being replaced by metal coins. India is the largest producer and consumer of currency notes, next only to China. Currency continues to be the dominant means of payment with banknotes in circulation (in value terms) placed at INR 14.3 trillion by March-end. During 2014-15, the goals set for the RBI included field trial of plastic banknotes, exploring alternatives for extending the life of banknotes, introduction of new series of banknotes to leverage the latest innovations of currency note printing technology to stay ahead of counterfeiters, redesigning coins to make them user friendly and long-lasting.
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August - 29 
Investigators working to identify Dawood Ibrahim's offshore assets have found his involvement in the business of conflict diamonds, The Times of India reports on August 30. In a bid to freeze Dawood's assets and shamble his operations, National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval had tasked intelligen
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Investigators working to identify Dawood Ibrahim's offshore assets have found his involvement in the business of conflict diamonds, The Times of India reports on August 30. In a bid to freeze Dawood's assets and shamble his operations, National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval had tasked intelligence agencies to pinpoint the his businesses. It is widely known that he has interests in real estate, money laundering, hawala (illegal money transaction) betting and fake currencies. Investigators have found that the current focus of the D Company, is to promote and expand the business of conflict diamonds in Africa and Dubai. Conflict diamonds are raw diamonds mined and sold by militants groups in African countries, particularly Angola, Sierra Leone and Congo, to "finance conflict aimed at undermining legitimate governments". These illegally mined stones are also called blood diamonds for the millions of civilian deaths caused by arms and ammunition that their sales have procured. They have largely been blacklisted in the diamond markets across the world. Dawood's numerous links to countries such as Zimbabwe and Kenya, among others, have been detailed in a dossier created by the investigators. It also describes the manner in which the gangster's syndicate acquires diamonds abroad and smuggles them into Dubai. The dossier talks about a conduit called Rehmat, who appears to be Dawood's pointman in Africa. Rehmat, who uses a mobile phone with an African number, hires African nationals, mostly women and young men, to act as couriers for Dawood's diamonds. Rehmat is known to have tapped the existing couriers to identify those who could carry the diamonds to the don's henchmen in Dubai. The intelligence investigators have established that Dawood has a Dubai-based company called Al Noor Diamonds which, they say, is a front for this illegal trade in blood diamonds. The probe has uncovered solid evidence to show how Rehmat ferries diamonds to Dubai from Africa on flights. "On each trip, diamonds worth around 5,00,000 to 10,00,000 USD are smuggled into Dubai and the African courier is paid 10,000 USD as his courier fee," reads the dossier. In Dubai, a man named in the report as Feroze Oasis receives the stones and has them processed before putting them out on the market. "Feroze also handles Dawood's other companies viz Oasis Oil and Lube LCC ... He is a south Indian and speaks Tamil, Arabic, English and Hindi," the dossier reads. The investigators say Javed Chutani alias Doctor is the man who oversees Dawood's operations and business in Dubai. "He was a bookie by profession with interests in real estate. His current gambling book is in the name of Kamran. Chutani also works as a bridge between Feroze, another associate Tariq Dubai and Dawood," the dossier states. The agencies are now probing the Indian links of the syndicate which they suspect get active once the rocks are processed and ready to be sold. India is a major processor of diamonds; almost 10 of every 11 diamonds that are sold across the globe are cut and polished in the country.
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August - 31 
According to findings of a national survey by an intelligence agency Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) showed the highest social media activity related to Islamic State (IS), followed by Assam, Uttar Pradesh (UP), Maharashtra and West Bengal, reports Times of India on September 1. UP had more towns/cities tha
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According to findings of a national survey by an intelligence agency Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) showed the highest social media activity related to Islamic State (IS), followed by Assam, Uttar Pradesh (UP), Maharashtra and West Bengal, reports Times of India on September 1. UP had more towns/cities than any other state attracting the young to explore IS propaganda online. The finding shows that the largest volume of internet traffic related to IS is being generated not from urban, IT-savvy centers like Bengaluru and Hyderabad but mofussil towns like Chinchwad and Unnao, besides smaller cities such as Srinagar and Guwahati. The discreet study of social media activity and internet searches on IS - covering Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Google - across Indian states and towns found that the global terror outfit was generating most interest among those in the age-group of 16-30 years. Not only do the curious belong to both the genders, but they also come from all walks of life, educational and social backgrounds. An unnamed senior intelligence official associated with the study stated, "Overall, ISIS has been successful in evolving a potent internet-based propaganda strategy with social media and multimedia (like YouTube) as effective vehicles... The spread and effectiveness achieved by ISIS is showing exponential proportions."
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September - 1 
In order to fight the menace of Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICN), the Government has approved introduction of seven new security features and the project is likely to be completed by May next year (2016), reports Press Trust of India on September 2. An official source said that in the first phase,
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In order to fight the menace of Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICN), the Government has approved introduction of seven new security features and the project is likely to be completed by May next year (2016), reports Press Trust of India on September 2. An official source said that in the first phase, the features will be included in high denomination notes of INR 500 and INR 1000, which are much in demand by counterfeiting gangs as also Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). The report further said that the security features recommended by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Central Board, details of which are not yet known, were recently approved by the Government. After accepting the recommendations, the government asked RBI to set in motion the introduction of the new features, sources said.
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September - 5 
Gujarat tops the list of five Indian states that are considered the "safest" for circulating Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICN) allegedly pushed in by Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) according to the latest data released by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), The Statesman reports
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Gujarat tops the list of five Indian states that are considered the "safest" for circulating Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICN) allegedly pushed in by Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) according to the latest data released by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), The Statesman reports on September 6. Of the 30,354,604 FICN seized across the country, 87,47,820 were recovered from Gujarat in 2014. Chhattisgarh followed close on the heels with the seizure of 7,386,900 fake notes, while Andhra Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana saw recoveries of 5,437,600, 3,249,000 and 1,696,850 counterfeit notes. Police officers monitoring the circulation of FICN suspect that the ISI is pushing such notes in India which have a greater resemblance to India's high denomination INR 1,000 and INR 500 notes. The officers said that they have been noticing for the past few months that differences between genuine and counterfeit notes were reducing and that around five such differences have actually disappeared. "The paper being used to make the fake notes is now more similar. The stiffness is almost the same. The security thread (in the right half) on fake notes also resembles that on the genuine currency...The watermark (the portrait of Mahatma Gandhi in light and shade) has also been nearly matched," an officer, who did not want to be named, said. "The identification mark on the left of the note looks quite similar in counterfeit and genuine notes. The optical variable ink also looks similar," he added. Of the 30,354,604 counterfeit notes seized across the country, those in the INR 1,000 denomination was the highest at 19,895,000. The recovery of notes in the INR 500, INR 100 and INR 50 denominations across India was 9,490,500; 938,800 and 25,000. "All the border areas in India have been facing the problem with the circulation of fake notes trade and the drug trade," said the officer. Apart from the road and railway routes, the air route via Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), as also China and Holland, are being used for smuggling in fake notes.
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September - 13 
According to a recent National Investigation Agency (NIA) report, 80 per cent Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICN) are sneaked into the country through the 172-km porous border along Malda District, and 55-60 per cent of the consignments from Bangladesh are circulated from the villages in 12 sq-km tria
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According to a recent National Investigation Agency (NIA) report, 80 per cent Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICN) are sneaked into the country through the 172-km porous border along Malda District, and 55-60 per cent of the consignments from Bangladesh are circulated from the villages in 12 sq-km triangle with 18 villages, The Times of India reports on September 14. The fake currency rackets has taken the magnitude of a cottage industry at Mohabbatpur, Chorianantapur, Sasani, Gopalnagar, Khoribona, Chaknanipur, Misutola and Dangipara, which are easily accessible to Bangladesh's Chapai Nababgunj Distreict, notorious for being a fake currency hub, as well as Nepal, said Malda Superintendent of Police (SP) Prasiun Banerjee. "Also, people here work as labourers in Rajasthan, Punjab, Delhi and Assam and they carry the notes with them there," he added. Most of the residents in the villages, including women and children, are part of the illegal trade, which according to a recent Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) report, is crippling the economy of India. In Mohabbatpur, there is not a single home that has not been raided. In fact, hardly any youngster can be found there as most of them have been arrested and the others have gone underground, trying to evade jail. According to the NIA, Malda has become the locus of criminal activities, with links to the Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI)-backed network of terrorism. According to the Malda District Police report, FICN with a face value of INR 1.43 crore were seized in 2013, the next year, it increased to INR 1.5 crore, while till July, 2015 it is INR 1.97 crore. "The steady rise shows the Police and the security agencies have been more alert and active. Origin source of most currencies is Pakistan," and the quality is so good that it can hardly be distinguished from original notes," Malda SP Banerjee said. NIA officials said this was only the tip of the iceberg. "The seized notes comprise merely just 5-7 per cent of the entire amount pumped into India" and so it is easily understandable how much fake currencies percolate into the main economy of the country," an NIA officer said. "The high-quality Pakistan notes' exchange rate is INR 60,000 for INR 1,00,000. For low-quality notes, it is INR 45,000-50,000 for INR 1,00,000," a District Police officer said. A Border Security Force (BSF) personnel pointed out modus operandi adopted by the smugglers: "People from Bangladesh supply notes to those living in Indian villages outside the border. They stash the notes in sacks and lob them over the fence into India, where the sacks usually land into their counterpart's house." There are other innovative methods too. "Smugglers use defunct irrigation pipes under agriculture fields. Two persons, one on the Indian side and the other on the Bangladesh side, sit at the two ends of the pipe and pass the notes tied to a long tape passing through the pipe," the Police said.
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September - 13 
Net banking and email frauds top the list of crimes registered by the Pune Cyber Cell in 2015, The Times of India reports on September 14. The total number of cyber complaints till August, 2015 has already crossed the 199 mark. Last year (2014), 350 complaints were registered while the number of cas
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Net banking and email frauds top the list of crimes registered by the Pune Cyber Cell in 2015, The Times of India reports on September 14. The total number of cyber complaints till August, 2015 has already crossed the 199 mark. Last year (2014), 350 complaints were registered while the number of cases was above 200 in 2012 and 2013 each. A bank fraud entails compromising net banking credentials while a credit/debit card fraud involves leaking a victim's card data.
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September - 17 
According to Crime Branch-Criminal Investigation Department (CB-CID) sources, Fake Indian Currency Note (FICN) printed in Pakistan are now pushed into India via Sri Lanka and the route for the fake currency printed in Bangladesh is through Malda District in West Bengal, The Hindu reports on Septembe
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According to Crime Branch-Criminal Investigation Department (CB-CID) sources, Fake Indian Currency Note (FICN) printed in Pakistan are now pushed into India via Sri Lanka and the route for the fake currency printed in Bangladesh is through Malda District in West Bengal, The Hindu reports on September 18. Police have arrested about 50 suspects till now in 2015 for circulating FICN in Tamil Nadu and Chennai. “Around 25 cases have been registered and FICN worth INR 8,00,000 was seized from them,” said a Police source. Most of the suspects get the money in exchange for smuggling drugs, and sometimes even arms, into the country. “After this, they convert it into legal tender currency by buying goods,” a CB-CID officer said. “Only INR 52,000 was seized by us, but nearly INR 9,00,000 has already been circulated. What is worrying is that most of them are high-quality notes and it has been flowing into Tamil Nadu undetected through Sri Lanka for a long time. Such issues are being suppressed by different law enforcement agencies,” a Police source said. Apart from Sri Lanka, sources say that money exchangers outside Singapore and Malaysia airports are also pushing in some FICN into India, especially through Chennai. The Police have written to the Interpol seeking help to crack the network. “Some of the suspects said they had got currency from money exchangers outside the airport. We are coordinating with other agencies to collect details,” the officer added.
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September - 27 
Two seizures of Fake Indian Currency Note (FICN) from Bangladesh in the last one week, including INR 27.1 million from a consignment arrived at Chittagong port from Dubai on September 20 and INR 12.8 million from a Bangladeshi flying into Dhaka from Dubai on September 22, have deepened India's suspi
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Two seizures of Fake Indian Currency Note (FICN) from Bangladesh in the last one week, including INR 27.1 million from a consignment arrived at Chittagong port from Dubai on September 20 and INR 12.8 million from a Bangladeshi flying into Dhaka from Dubai on September 22, have deepened India's suspicion that Pakistani agents are producing FICN in bulk at facilities in the Gulf and shipping it back to south Asian ports and airports for entry into India, The Times of India reports on September 28. In September 20 case, the consignment was sent by Shahiduzzaman, a Bangladeshi national (passport no BC-0635715), who hails from Hathhazari, Chittagong District, but is a resident of Dubai. Suspected to be closely associated with the Pakistani agencies, he has been using his business contacts and network in Chittagong to assist smuggling of contraband through the Chittagong area primarily targeted for the adjoining north-east India. The interrogation of the five arrested in the case has revealed that the FICN assignment was to be taken to Comilla and Feni Districts along the Tripura border. Later, on September 22, the Bangladeshi authorities intercepted a Bangladeshi national travelling from Dubai to Dhaka and recovered FICN worth INR 12.8 million from his possession. According to sources in the Indian intelligence agencies, the latest couple of seizures take the total amount of FICN recovered from Bangladesh since January 2014 to over INR 2.3 million. Most FICN hauls were from flights arriving into Bangladesh either directly from Pakistan or from Dubai, Colombo, Doha and Turkey. The Pakistan-inspired FICN rackets are seen as Islamabad's covert economic warfare to undermine India's national economy. A senior Indian intelligence official said Bangladeshi authorities have been vigilant and alert to actively counter and thwart the FICN network and are working in close tandem with international agencies.
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September - 30 
Naval warship INS Kochi, the largest-ever warship to be built in India, was commissioned by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar at the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai, The Times of India reports on September 30. INS Kochi is packed with weapons and sensors as well as advanced stealth features. The Navy has p
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Naval warship INS Kochi, the largest-ever warship to be built in India, was commissioned by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar at the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai, The Times of India reports on September 30. INS Kochi is packed with weapons and sensors as well as advanced stealth features. The Navy has plans to become a 200-warship force with around 600 aircraft and helicopters by 2027 to ensure it can effectively guard the country's expanding geo-strategic interests in the backdrop of the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) emerging as "the world's centre of gravity". The IOR has over 120 warships at any given time, with China fast becoming a force to reckon with in the region. China is expanding its naval footprint mainly to safeguard its energy supplies passing through the IOR but India can ill-afford to ignore its strategic moves. "We have to be on guard. India's developmental destiny is strongly linked to the seas around us. While we do not want competition with China to turn into conflict in IOR, we have to be ready and keep our powder dry," said another senior officer.
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October - 1 
Principal District and Sessions Court Judge R. Poornima dismissed the bail plea of a Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) cadre Neelamegham alias Kadhir alias Vinayakam (29) on October 1, reports The Hindu. Opposing the bail petition, Police claimed that granting of bail to Neelamegham would
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Principal District and Sessions Court Judge R. Poornima dismissed the bail plea of a Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) cadre Neelamegham alias Kadhir alias Vinayakam (29) on October 1, reports The Hindu. Opposing the bail petition, Police claimed that granting of bail to Neelamegham would hamper their investigation.
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October - 3 
The account from which messages relating to Areeb Majeed one of the four youth who had joined the Islamic State (IS) were being posted has been traced to the Ansar-ul-Tawhid (AuT), oneindia.com reports on October 3. A handle@spamci17 had put out a series of tweets claiming that Areeb Majeed had retu
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The account from which messages relating to Areeb Majeed one of the four youth who had joined the Islamic State (IS) were being posted has been traced to the Ansar-ul-Tawhid (AuT), oneindia.com reports on October 3. A handle@spamci17 had put out a series of tweets claiming that Areeb Majeed had returned to India only to carry out a suicide attack on a Police Station. Indian Intelligence Bureau (IB) officials say that the account was being handled by a member of the Ansar-ul-Tawhid or the erstwhile Indian Mujahideen. According to IB report, AUT was started a year ago by Sultan Armar. However with conflicting reports of his death being posted on the IS media, the outfit is said to be handled now by brother Shafi Armar. There has been a pause in the recruitment process from India and hence messages on social media accounts are being posted to give a brighter side to the IS. The account from which the Areeb Majeed messages were tweeted has now been taken down. Intelligence Agencies say that it is the same person who continues to tweet under different handles. He has tweeted similar material in the past as well and the account has been taken down. With the IS's social media team, it is always a catch and mouse game. There are nearly 45,000 accounts sympathetic to the IS that are being run on the social media. Around 200 are related to India. These accounts disappear and then resurface. There is a need to constantly monitor these accounts. These accounts post propaganda material and also suggest routes and means on how to reach the IS camps, the officer also adds.
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October - 4 
According to Intelligence Bureau (IB) report, Islamic State (IS) has put up posters in West Bengal Districts of Murshidabad and Nadia bordering Bangladesh, in a bid to attract people, New Indian Express reports on October 4. The cyber cell of the IB has conducted a national survey to mark the areas
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According to Intelligence Bureau (IB) report, Islamic State (IS) has put up posters in West Bengal Districts of Murshidabad and Nadia bordering Bangladesh, in a bid to attract people, New Indian Express reports on October 4. The cyber cell of the IB has conducted a national survey to mark the areas from where the IS is trying to recruit youths. Among the five top states are Jammu and Kashmir, West Bengal, Assam, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh. Apart from bordering Districts, even Howrah in West Bengal figures on the list. The survey found that many, including women aged between 16 and 30, are showing interest in IS related activities on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. In September, where officials of the National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO) were present, the Police Chiefs were directed to form special teams to keep a watch on websites that are allegedly trying to recruit for the IS. They were also told to seek help of Muslim religious leaders to preach against the hatred and violence preached by the IS. An NTRO official said the scenario in West Bengal was particularly “disturbing as several youths were preaching and recruiting for the IS from the state by using the Internet”.
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October - 5 
India and Germany on October 5, agreed to intensify their cooperation in countering terrorism in all its forms, including recruitment, financing, propaganda, training and movement of terrorists, reports The Times of India. The two countries signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on security coop
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India and Germany on October 5, agreed to intensify their cooperation in countering terrorism in all its forms, including recruitment, financing, propaganda, training and movement of terrorists, reports The Times of India. The two countries signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on security cooperation during the visit of German Chancellor Angela Merkel to India. The MoU was signed by Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju and German Parliamentary State Secretary at the Ministry of Interior Gunter Krings. According to an official release, "The MoU proposes to intensify cooperation in countering terrorism in all its forms, including recruitment, financing, terrorist propaganda, training and terrorist movements, countering organised crime, preventing and combating unlawful production/extraction of any narcotic and psychotropic substances". The MoU also covers border protection, aviation security, cyber crime, illegal migration and counterfeit currency. During his interaction with Krings, Rijiju is said to have pointed out that the 'Khalistan' flag and photographs of terrorists bearing weapons were openly displayed in many Sikh shrines in Germany to "incite hatred and anger against India". While recalling that the Annual Report on Protection of Constitution published in June 2015 had made a specific reference to "extremist Sikhs" in the list of extremist organisations of foreigners in Germany, Rijiju said Indo-German "collaboration" against Sikh radicals needs to be effective at all stages starting from recruitment to training, funding, propaganda and movement of terrorist elements. The Indian security agencies have compiled an elaborate document on how Germany has become a meeting point of Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) and other terrorist groups of late. There have been massive Germany-based recruitments in BKI in recent months, agencies have been informed. As per the document, BKI modules have been under immense pressure from Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) to attack Indian establishments. The latter has even asked BKI to coordinate with outfits like Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). As per an intelligence communique circulated among agencies a few months ago, BKI's Pakistan-based commander Wadhwa Singh and his counterpart from LeT held a number of meetings in Choburjee, Lahore. They have been trying to orchestrate a "synchronized attack" on Punjab and Delhi, sources said. The communique further said Wadhwa Singh and LeT 'commander' Tufaili Nayat Mir had visited Germany and Canada a number of times to meet BKI operatives lying low there. "There have been sustained efforts by Wadhwa Singh, Pakistan-based chief of BKI and others based abroad to rejuvenate the organization. Singh has been able to raise human bombs to be used at an opportune moment. Large quantities of arms, ammunitions and explosive are being smuggled from across the border in the Jammu region and delivered to BKI cadres in Delhi-Punjab regions using Trans-border smugglers," the note prepared a few months ago said.
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October - 5 
Indian agencies seem to discount the possibility of Islamic State's (IS) involvement in the recent killings of an Italian and a Japanese national in Bangladesh, The Times of India reports on October 6. They have instead sought to blame Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) rebels and see the murderous attacks as a
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Indian agencies seem to discount the possibility of Islamic State's (IS) involvement in the recent killings of an Italian and a Japanese national in Bangladesh, The Times of India reports on October 6. They have instead sought to blame Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) rebels and see the murderous attacks as a ploy to draw attention of the Western nations to "targeting of their top leaders for 1971 war crimes without proper trial as required by an international war tribunal". "The hanging of some top Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) leaders may be due in the near future; one of the most prominent leaders on the death row is Motiur Rahman Nizami, whose appeal is now being heard by the Supreme Court," a senior officer of the Indian establishment pointed out. "The attacks on foreigners seem to aimed at drawing the immediate attention of the West. Also, given that IS generates the widest interest across the globe, JeI may be projecting attacks by extremists linked to it as those executed by IS. This attracts immediate condemnation by the western world and may further JeI's intention to project the Hasina government as ineffective in managing the security situation," said the officer. Agencies feel the Bangladesh killings do not bear the IS hallmark. Beheading victims and videographing the brutal murders is a known modus operandi of IS and the killings in Bangladesh were both shooting incidents. Though Bangladesh has rounded up some suspects, no evidence of their links with IS has been found so far. "Those detained may not be the real perpetrators, but investigations are on to identify them...but until now, there is nothing beyond a claim to establish any IS link," said an official following the events in Bangladesh.
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October - 6 
The Indian Navy commissioned Indian Naval Ship (INS) Astradharini. The vessel will be used to carry out technical trials of underwater weapons and systems developed by Naval Science and Technological Laboratory (NSTL). Astradharini is a replacement vessel of the erstwhile Astravahini.
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The Indian Navy commissioned Indian Naval Ship (INS) Astradharini. The vessel will be used to carry out technical trials of underwater weapons and systems developed by Naval Science and Technological Laboratory (NSTL). Astradharini is a replacement vessel of the erstwhile Astravahini.
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October - 8 
Mumbai Police on October 8, filed an application in the sessions court seeking issuance of a letter of request against Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist David Coleman Headley, reports Pune Mirror. They want Headley to be produced through video conference, from the US, in the 26/11 (November 26, 2008)
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Mumbai Police on October 8, filed an application in the sessions court seeking issuance of a letter of request against Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist David Coleman Headley, reports Pune Mirror. They want Headley to be produced through video conference, from the US, in the 26/11 (November 26, 2008) terror attack case. The court is trying, LeT operative and key plotter of 26/11 terror strikes, Sayed Zabiuddin Ansari alias Abu Jundal for his alleged role in case. "This court may kindly issue a letter of request to the US district court of Illinois to produce Headley before this court on the next date through video conferencing," said the application moved by the Mumbai Police. The request further states that Headley deserves to be tried by this (Mumbai) court together with Jundal as both of them are conspirators and abettors behind the 26/11 terror attack. "The offences with which Headley is likely to be charged by this court are distinct and separate than the offences with which he had been charged and punished in USA", the application added. In the application, the Mumbai Police said that from the judgment passed by the US court against Headley, serving 35 years for his role in the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, it was clear that he was a member of LeT and had played an active role in the terror attack.
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October - 8 
Security has been increased at Somnath Temple in Gujarat following a terror threat to blow up the temple . According to the security agencies, the letter is written in Gujarati language and has been sent from Vadodara. The sender, claiming to be from 'Indian Mujahideen', has threatened to explode th
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Security has been increased at Somnath Temple in Gujarat following a terror threat to blow up the temple . According to the security agencies, the letter is written in Gujarati language and has been sent from Vadodara. The sender, claiming to be from 'Indian Mujahideen', has threatened to explode the temple with a bomb. Following the threatening, the security agencies have been put on high alert and an investigation is on to trace the sender of the letter. Indian Coast Guard have also been alerted about the threat to the temple, which is located on the sea shore.
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October - 9 
Legislators of the 11 mountain states of India-- Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura, Jammu & Kashmir (J&K), Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand -- will come under one banner to look into multiple issues related to the mountains and the people living there,
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Legislators of the 11 mountain states of India-- Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura, Jammu & Kashmir (J&K), Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand -- will come under one banner to look into multiple issues related to the mountains and the people living there, it was decided on October 9,
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October - 9 
State-sponsored cross-border terrorism is of particular concern, India has told the United Nations (UN) on October 8 as it called upon the world community to have zero tolerance towards those who aid and abet terrorist acts and provide safe havens to their perpetrators, in a veiled attack on Pakista
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State-sponsored cross-border terrorism is of particular concern, India has told the United Nations (UN) on October 8 as it called upon the world community to have zero tolerance towards those who aid and abet terrorist acts and provide safe havens to their perpetrators, in a veiled attack on Pakistan, reports NDTV. "Terrorism has emerged as the most serious scourge of our times and endangers international peace, security and prosperity," First Secretary in the Indian Mission to the UN Mayank Joshi said at a session titled 'Crime Prevention and International Drug Control' at the Third Committee. He also noted that "state-sponsored cross-border terrorism is of particular concern to India". Joshi said the international community must have a policy of zero tolerance towards terrorism and "towards those who aid and abet terrorist acts and provide safe havens to their perpetrators". "Any country that allows the perpetrators of dastardly terrorist acts against innocent people, poses a serious threat to all nations," Joshi added. "Increasing threats of cybercrime have the potential of being even more lethal than conventional wars and calls for national capacity building, technical assistance and global cooperation and response. "Use of advanced information technology by terrorists has to be met with a global response," he said. Joshi underscored that the need of the hour is not to dilute the Drug Conventions, but to strengthen their implementation in their spirit and address the drug problem on the basis of principle of common and shared responsibility. He pointed out that India is in the process of finalising its first national policy for drug demand reduction. The government has also established a monitoring committee to bring the New Psychoactive Substances (NPS), which now number over 540, and synthetic drugs, under control. India is also moving towards an 'Online regulatory regime' aimed to better serve the victims of drug abuse and patients in need of relief, he said.
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October - 10 
A 28-year-old youth from Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh, who went to Syria about six months back to join the Islamic State (IS), recently called his family from Raqqa (Syria) and asked his parents to help him come back home, The Times of India reports on October 10. The IS recruit is said to be scared of
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A 28-year-old youth from Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh, who went to Syria about six months back to join the Islamic State (IS), recently called his family from Raqqa (Syria) and asked his parents to help him come back home, The Times of India reports on October 10. The IS recruit is said to be scared of dying in air strikes and has been frantically calling his family members to facilitate his return to India. "He is also frustrated with the activities of IS and desperately wants to come back," said an intelligence officer. The youth was recruited by IS and sent to Syria about six months back via Turkey by a Dubai-based operative of the militant outfit. However, his family didn't know about his whereabouts for the past six months and approached the security agencies after receiving his call. The intelligence agencies are making efforts to bring him back. In Lucknow, Additional Director General of Police (ADG) (law and order) Daljit Singh Chowdhury said the state police is coordinating with intelligence agencies in Delhi. "Only on Saturday I would be able to divulge name of the youth and other details," said Chowdhury. The Dubai-based IS operative had found the Azamgarh youth surfing about the militant outfit. Later the Class XII passout, son an artisan, decided to go to Syria. He arranged money for his flight to Turkey from where he went to Syria. Officials said the Azamgarh youth is the 20th Indian so far to have travelled to Iraq and Syria after being radicalised.
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October - 12 
Indian and Chinese armies on October 12 (today) started off their fifth annual anti-terrorism exercise in China's Kunming city as both the sides seek to share their successful experiences in counter-terrorism operations during the 10-day drill. Both sides are fielding the same number of troops for t
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Indian and Chinese armies on October 12 (today) started off their fifth annual anti-terrorism exercise in China's Kunming city as both the sides seek to share their successful experiences in counter-terrorism operations during the 10-day drill. Both sides are fielding the same number of troops for the joint exercises, which will culminate on October 22. Troops from 14 Corps of China's Chengdu Military Region, which focuses on borders with India are taking in the exercise. Troops of both sides will undergo intensive joint training, which will include displays, demonstrations, and a comprehensive joint exercise. The purpose of the exercise is to develop joint operating capability, share useful experience in counter-terrorism operations and to promote friendly exchanges between the armies of India and China, the press release said. The first drill was held in southwest China's Yunnan Province in 2007, followed by drills in Belgaum in Karnataka in 2008. The third round was held in southwest China's Sichuan in 2013, followed by fourth in Pune in 2014.
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October - 12 
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on October 12 approved the release of Khalistani militant Waryam Singh, who is lodged in a Bareilly (Uttar Pradesh, UP) jail since 1990. Sources said that Rajnath Singh signed the file for Waryam Singh's release on "humanitarian grounds" as the convict is very old n
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Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on October 12 approved the release of Khalistani militant Waryam Singh, who is lodged in a Bareilly (Uttar Pradesh, UP) jail since 1990. Sources said that Rajnath Singh signed the file for Waryam Singh's release on "humanitarian grounds" as the convict is very old now and his family is living in poverty. UP Government had given a report to Union Ministry of Home Affairs favouring the Singh's release on the grounds that his conduct has been very good for the past 24 years and he has never availed the parole. Waryam Singh, who hails from UP’s Shahjahanpur District, was convicted by a court in Pilibhit for criminal conspiracy and TADA sections. He was arrested by UP police in 1990.
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October - 14 
An intercept shared by Intelligence Bureau (IB) and other intelligence agencies with Uttar Pradesh Police says that terror groups are trying to activate sleeper cells in various cities to launch bomb attacks in the wake of the recent Dadri lynching and Mainpuri-like instances of violence, The Times
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An intercept shared by Intelligence Bureau (IB) and other intelligence agencies with Uttar Pradesh Police says that terror groups are trying to activate sleeper cells in various cities to launch bomb attacks in the wake of the recent Dadri lynching and Mainpuri-like instances of violence, The Times of India reports on October 15. In the intercept, two men are found exchanging details about sleeper cells in Uttar Pradesh and are continuously referring to a man based in Allahabad who is known to provide assistance to people associated with terror groups. During the conversation, one man assures the other that "a few women cops honey-trapped by the outfits' men will also provide assistance" in their mission. Several communally-sensitive locations across the state, including Kashi Vishwanath temple and Ramlala temple in Ayodhya, feature as targets in the intercept. Police across the state have been put on a high alert following the 5-page intercept, which also contains a list of targets, including top Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leaders Ashok Singhal and Pravin Togadia. Senior Superintendent of Police for Government Railway Police Gopeshnath Khanna stated on October 15, "Having failed to execute their deadly assault in Gurdaspur in July, the terror outfits may now take advantage of the recent Dadri lynching incident to create disturbance during festival time as well as the ongoing panchayat polls. We are on high alert." According to sources, two men have been detained by intelligence agencies and are being questioned by military and IB personnel in Allahabad. "During interrogation, the accused have disclosed their plans to attack UP Vidhan Sabha, Allahabad High Court, Kanpur railway station and residential colonies for former military personnel in Allahabad," a source claimed.
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October - 14 
The Odisha Government on October 13 sounded high alert in all Districts on possible terror strikes during upcoming festive season, according to The Times of India. On October 14 (today), the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (UMHA) issued advisory to all states. "Though there is no specific threat to O
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The Odisha Government on October 13 sounded high alert in all Districts on possible terror strikes during upcoming festive season, according to The Times of India. On October 14 (today), the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (UMHA) issued advisory to all states. "Though there is no specific threat to Odisha, we have asked the police in all districts to remain on toe to thwart any untoward incident. The commissionerate of police in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack and SPs in Balasore and Puri have been asked to remain extra vigilant," said a senior officer in home department. Quoting the UMHA letter, the officer said: "Some terrorists belonging to SIMI and Lashkar-e-Toiba have reportedly entered India and are planning to disrupt peace and cause communal tension during Navratri, Durga Puja and Muharram." Police have been asked to fortify Jagannath Temple in Puri and Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), in Balasore. In Puri Police intensified checking and frisking at the four entrances of the shrine. Seaside hotels have been asked to keep a strict watch on suspicious guests. In Bhubaneswar, the commissionerate of police asked the inspectors-in-charge of police stations, mostly Capital, Kharavel Nagar, Nayapalli, Chandrasekharpur and Khandagiri, to check hotels. Night blocking and checking of vehicles started from October 12.
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October - 16 
Two more letters in the names of Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and Indian Mujahideen (IM) threatening blasts at the department of physics of Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda's Faculty of Science and Gotri-based Shaishav School in Vadodara (Gujara
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Two more letters in the names of Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and Indian Mujahideen (IM) threatening blasts at the department of physics of Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda's Faculty of Science and Gotri-based Shaishav School in Vadodara (Gujarat) were received on Friday (October 16) morning, reports The Times of India. The city Police and bomb detection and disposal squad (BDDS) conducted an extensive search operation at both these spots, but found no suspicious objects. The letter received by the department of physics was in Hindi while that addressed to Shaishav School's principal was written in Gujarati. Sayajigunj Police said the letter sent to the University was long and its anonymous writer had stated that there will be blasts in the university and also at the railway station.
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October - 17 
On October 17, in wake of the increasing footprint of new terror groups like the Islamic State (IS) and Boko Haram, India has called for enhancing cooperation with the 54 African countries to combat the global menace, reports Daily Pioneer. While addressing the ministerial meeting of 3rd India-Afric
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On October 17, in wake of the increasing footprint of new terror groups like the Islamic State (IS) and Boko Haram, India has called for enhancing cooperation with the 54 African countries to combat the global menace, reports Daily Pioneer. While addressing the ministerial meeting of 3rd India-Africa Forum Summit, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj urged African countries to come on a common platform and join hands in Intelligence sharing, training programmes and capacity-building to tackle terrorism. India has also promised several African countries help in fighting Boko Haram and Al-Shabab. In this context, Swaraj pushed for early adoption of the India-initiated Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism. Terrorism and development remained an important topic of discussion during Swaraj’s bilateral talks with South Africa, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Congo, Ghana, South Sudan and Tunisia as well. Cameroon and some other African countries have openly sought help from India in capacity-building in the Defence sector so that the combined forces combating Boko Haram can be strengthened. India has agreed to information sharing, capacity-building and training programmes in counter terrorism. India already has such a tie-up with Nigeria.“All our nations find themselves faced with the growing scourge of terrorism. The menace of non-State actors and cross border terrorism has acquired a new dimension. The scale of this challenge is huge and undermines peace and stability in our countries, which is essential for our development efforts. In view of the fast growing linkages of such terrorist groups across the globe, we must step up our cooperation through Intelligence exchange, training and other measures to counter this menace. We also hope that the international community will cooperate with urgency to adopt the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism,” Swaraj said.
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October - 19 
A red alert has been sounded all over West Bengal during Durga Puja about possible terror attacks by various Islamist fundamentalist groups. The Indian Mujahideen (IM), Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) and various other Bangladeshi outfits operating in the State might resort to subversive activ
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A red alert has been sounded all over West Bengal during Durga Puja about possible terror attacks by various Islamist fundamentalist groups. The Indian Mujahideen (IM), Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) and various other Bangladeshi outfits operating in the State might resort to subversive activities during the festival, which started on October 19, intelligence agencies said. While vigil along the border is being stepped up, all police stations in border districts have been alerted to look out for Bangladeshi infiltrators trained by Islamist terror outfits to wreak havoc during the festive season and organise riots.
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October - 22 
The Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) investigating the Yavatmal case (Yavatmal District of Maharashtra) in which a 20-year-old youth allegedly stabbed a Police constable to “avenge beef ban” is probing if the arrested accused was a member of the newly-floated ‘electronic warfare technology group’ of the b
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The Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) investigating the Yavatmal case (Yavatmal District of Maharashtra) in which a 20-year-old youth allegedly stabbed a Police constable to “avenge beef ban” is probing if the arrested accused was a member of the newly-floated ‘electronic warfare technology group’ of the banned outfit, the Student Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), reports The Indian Express on October 23. Officials claim that the group was formed to facilitate creating an Indian wing “on the lines of al Qaeda”. Accused Abdul Malik is learnt to have told the ATS that he had been in touch with Shah Mudassir alias Talha (25), a businessman from Omerkhed in Maharashtra, and Shoeb Ahmed Khan alias Pusad Shoeb alias Tariq Bhai (24) of Hingoli District in Maharashtra. The two were arrested by the Hyderabad Police in October 2014. According to the Police, Malik, who might have been radicalised by the same “handler” or some other person who was in charge of the Maharashtra operations, had stabbed the constable to lodge his protest against the beef ban imposed by the State Government on September 25.
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October - 25 
Money exchanges and their customers have been warned to be cautious as perfect-looking Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICNs) are found in circulation in the UAE, Khaleej Times reports on October 26. The technology used in printing counterfeit Indian notes is so sophisticated that ordinary people or eve
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Money exchanges and their customers have been warned to be cautious as perfect-looking Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICNs) are found in circulation in the UAE, Khaleej Times reports on October 26. The technology used in printing counterfeit Indian notes is so sophisticated that ordinary people or even exchange employees cannot distinguish them from the original notes. The call for caution has come from a teller with a foreign exchange company in Sharjah, who was recently acquitted by the UAE Supreme Court in a fake currency case, and his advocates. Indian M.S, 35, was arrested by the Sharjah Police in June after the Police received information that some Indian rupee notes that he had disbursed to a customer in exchange to dirhams were found fake. The Police received the information after a woman was arrested in Kerala for handing some fake Indian currency notes to a bank over there. "Her husband had apparently exchanged dirhams with Indian rupees from our client," said Advocate Mahmood Alavi. "She paid Rs6,000 to a bank in Kerala as payment for her daughter's educational loan. Of that five Rs1,000 notes were found to be fake," he said. Many cases of FICNs have been reported in the UAE in recent years and people who travelled from the UAE have been reportedly involved in counterfeit currency seizures in India. Some reports in the Indian media even claimed that counterfeit currency mafia had shifted their base to the UAE and were routing the fake notes to India via its neighbouring countries.
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October - 26 
Law enforcement agencies have been asked to step up security around dignitaries attending the Indo-Africa Summit due to the possibility of terror outfits Boko Haram and Islamic State (IS) attempting to disrupt the meet, sources in the intelligence establishment said, The Times of India reports on Oc
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Law enforcement agencies have been asked to step up security around dignitaries attending the Indo-Africa Summit due to the possibility of terror outfits Boko Haram and Islamic State (IS) attempting to disrupt the meet, sources in the intelligence establishment said, The Times of India reports on October 27. The threat perception of the summit has been marked as "very high" as several heads of state visiting Delhi are under threat from Boko Haram, which is mainly active in Nigeria and has recently pledged its allegiance to IS. Highly-placed sources said the foreign region registration office (FRRO) and Delhi Police sleuths were keeping a tab on African nationals who have arrived in Delhi in the last one week. Over 25,000 Delhi Police and paramilitary personnel are operating in tandem with the African security apparatus in central and New Delhi areas for the summit. Security will be much increased on October 29, 2015 when all heads of state, along with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and high-ranking Indian and African officials will congregate at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium.
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October - 26 
Pakistan uses militants as proxies to counter India's growing influence in Afghanistan, Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director John Brennan has said in an email, which has been hacked and released by WikiLeaks, The Times of India reports on October 26. The email is among documents, released by t
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Pakistan uses militants as proxies to counter India's growing influence in Afghanistan, Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director John Brennan has said in an email, which has been hacked and released by WikiLeaks, The Times of India reports on October 26. The email is among documents, released by the whistleblower website and deemed classified by the CIA, contained reports on Afghanistan and Pakistan, and also ideas for US policy towards Iran. Brennan, three days after Barack Obama was elected US President in November 2008, wrote to him in a position-cum- strategy paper that Pakistan uses the Taliban to counter India in Afghanistan. "Pakistan's desire to counter India's growing influence in Afghanistan and concerns about US long-term commitments to Afghanistan increase Pakistan's interest in hedging its bets by ensuring that it will be able to have a working relationship with the Taliban to balance Indian and Iranian interests if the US withdraws," Brennan wrote on November 7, 2008. Brennan, then a top foreign policy and counter-terrorism adviser to Obama, then a president-elect, was in the running to be CIA Director. Brennan's views on Pakistan was disclosed in a 13-page executive summary of key findings and recommendations on Afghanistan and Pakistan. Brennan, in the summary, said efforts in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) have been challenged by Pakistan's ambivalence towards, and perhaps outright support for, the Taliban. "While the US Intelligence Community differs on the extent of the relationships, at least some elements of Pakistan's military and intelligence services appear to be ambivalent about the anti-Taliban and anti-militant mission in the FATA, in part due to their history of close ties to the Taliban in Afghanistan's conflict with the Soviet Union and Pakistan's use of militant proxies in its conflict with India," he wrote.
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October - 30 
In a major development in the probe against Islamic State (IS) militant Areeb Majeed, investigators have identified the person who facilitated the travel of the Kalyan-based youth to Iraq after he was convinced to join the terror group, reports The Times of India on October 30. Presently on the run,
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In a major development in the probe against Islamic State (IS) militant Areeb Majeed, investigators have identified the person who facilitated the travel of the Kalyan-based youth to Iraq after he was convinced to join the terror group, reports The Times of India on October 30. Presently on the run, the suspect, Abu Bakr Siddiqui, reportedly a resident of Kalyan itself, had arranged Majeed's passport and other travel documents to go with Fahad Shaikh, Shaheem Tanki and Aman Tandel to Iraq on the intervening night of May 24 and 25 2014, disguising them as pilgrims. Majeed was deported from Turkey in November 2014 while Tanki is said to have been killed in an airstrike in Iraq. Sources said that Abu Bakr Siddiqui was approached by Afghani businessman Rehman Daulati to arrange the travel of Majeed and others
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October - 31 
Islamic State (IS) online recruiter Afsha Jabeen alias Nicky Joseph and her family was living illegally in Dubai since 2009 as their visas had expired and they didn't have money to extend their visas, The Times of India reports on November 1. Subsequently, after the premature birth of her second and
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Islamic State (IS) online recruiter Afsha Jabeen alias Nicky Joseph and her family was living illegally in Dubai since 2009 as their visas had expired and they didn't have money to extend their visas, The Times of India reports on November 1. Subsequently, after the premature birth of her second and third daughter in 2012 and 2013, she and her husband Devender Kumar Batra's passport were kept by hospital authorities in Dubai since couldn't pay the hospital fees. Batra had converted to Islam after the marriage. Jabeen, told the Intelligence Bureau (IB) officials that they "owed huge amount to immigration authorities in Dubai for regularization of their stay" there. Deported from Dubai in September, Jabeen along with her associate Salman Mohiuddin had motivated several youths from different cities to join IS. Jabeen is being questioned by agencies about her association with other members who radicalized youngsters on social networking sites and Facebook pages. She has been booked under sections of Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) 1967, section 66 (1) of IT Act and Section 153 of Indian Penal Code (IPC), which deals with promoting hatred or enmity in the name of religion, by the agencies.
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November - 8 
Victims of cyber offences can now report their cases and seek technical help at zero cost at the first private cyber crime reporting helpline which has become operational in Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR), reports niticentral.com. Through the helpline number launched last month (October, 2015),
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Victims of cyber offences can now report their cases and seek technical help at zero cost at the first private cyber crime reporting helpline which has become operational in Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR), reports niticentral.com. Through the helpline number launched last month (October, 2015), the reporting centre has received around 250 complaints in 15 days, said a source in the Indian Cyber Army, developer of the helpline and consultant to Delhi Police and their counterparts in three other states. The concept of the cyber helpline was borrowed from that of the Internet Crime Complaint Centre (IC3.gov) operated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), said a developer connected with the helpline.
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November - 9 
The National Investigating Agency (NIA) has managed to neutralise an inter-state racket that involves the circulation of Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICNs) and also smuggling of narcotics, oneindia.com reports on November 9. The two states in question are Punjab and West Bengal and the arrest of the
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The National Investigating Agency (NIA) has managed to neutralise an inter-state racket that involves the circulation of Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICNs) and also smuggling of narcotics, oneindia.com reports on November 9. The two states in question are Punjab and West Bengal and the arrest of these operatives had led to the seizure of opium and high quality fake currency notes. In a detailed charge sheet filed by the NIA, it is stated that Sunesh Kumar a resident of Ambala (Haryana) and Rajan Chopra from Fatehgarh Sahib, Punjab were involved in a racket involving the circulation of both fake currency and opium. The said Sunesh Kumar and Rajan Chopra were arrested by a joint team of West Bengal Police and BSF, on May 12 2055 at the Sujapur town under Kaliachak Police Station limits in Malda District of West Bengal. In view of the interstate linkages of the smugglers, and probable connections with smugglers from across the border in Bangladesh, NIA took over the investigation as per the orders issued by Union Ministry of Home Affairs (UMHA). During investigation by NIA, it was established that the two had driven in the car owned by accused Rajan Chopra, all the way from Punjab to West Bengal only to purchase FICNs and contraband drugs and were found in possession of the same. The NIA will continue further investigation to identify and arrest the suppliers of the FICNs to the arrested accused and the contacts in Bangladesh from where the high quality FICN is suspected to have been smuggled. The NIA says that this was a major operation ranging from Punjab to West Bengal and Bangladesh. It appeared as though the accused persons were connected with some in Bangladesh with whose help they were carrying out this racket. Punjab and Haryana are facing a major drug smuggling problem and through this case, we hope to identify and arrest more accused, the NIA official also added.
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November - 14 
Intelligence agencies have said that so far at least 19 Indians have joined Islamic State (IS), india.com reports on November 15. Around 50 people who are following IS propaganda on social networking sites are under watch of the agencies. Indian intelligence said that most Indians who have joined th
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Intelligence agencies have said that so far at least 19 Indians have joined Islamic State (IS), india.com reports on November 15. Around 50 people who are following IS propaganda on social networking sites are under watch of the agencies. Indian intelligence said that most Indians who have joined the organisation are the ones who have moved to Gulf countries for work. According to the Report, an official said, “We are worried over the spread of ISIS. In India, LeT remains the most dangerous enemy. ISIS is a threat to India but not like it is to Europe. Indian nationals have gone to join ISIS and have been brought back as well. We are constantly working to check the spread of ISIS propaganda.” Report also says that the Police forces across the country are on high alert and agencies are asked to intensify their security in the bordering areas. Coastal area security have also been beefed up and Home and External Affairs are constantly monitoring the affairs in France. Sources also said that as terror situation in Afghanistan and Pakistan affects India. Security agencies had asked their US, European and West Asian counterparts with surveillance in IS-held territory in Iraq and Syria to help them with estimate number of Indians in the militant organisation.
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November - 17 
Ansar-ut Tawhid fi Bilad al-Hind (AuT), an India-specific jihadi outfit that pledged allegiance to Islamic State (IS) in September 2014, has started online propaganda for IS in Bengali, after posting IS messages in the past with Urdu, Hindi, Tamil, Gujarat and English subtitles, The Times of India r
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Ansar-ut Tawhid fi Bilad al-Hind (AuT), an India-specific jihadi outfit that pledged allegiance to Islamic State (IS) in September 2014, has started online propaganda for IS in Bengali, after posting IS messages in the past with Urdu, Hindi, Tamil, Gujarat and English subtitles, The Times of India reports on November 18. Indian intelligence agencies say this has expanded the geographical reach of IS propaganda, leading to radicalization of some Indian youth. AuT propagates acts of violence against the Indian government and encourages Indian Muslims to participate in jihad within the country, along with encouraging other jihadis to attack Indian government interests and economic centres. Another key cause of concern for the Indian agencies, as they review the IS threat in the wake of Paris attacks and India's backing to France's retaliatory air-strikes on IS territory, is the Wilayat Khorasan (WK), an IS affiliate operating out of Af-Pak region. WK, according to intelligence sources, is at present a threat in Nangarhar Province of Afghanistan and may target Indian interests there. Incidentally, Afghanistan is the only country in South Asia where IS activity goes beyond recruitment.
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November - 17 
Islamic State (IS) terrorists are using every trick to finance their activities, from bank loans to government benefits schemes to exploitation of natural resources, according to an October 2015 report of Financial Action Task Force (FATF), Economic Times reports on November 18. The plenary meeting
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Islamic State (IS) terrorists are using every trick to finance their activities, from bank loans to government benefits schemes to exploitation of natural resources, according to an October 2015 report of Financial Action Task Force (FATF), Economic Times reports on November 18. The plenary meeting of the inter-governmental task force, with a focus on terror financing activities of the IS, took place in Paris (France). According to investigations carried out by the task force members, one emerging trend includes foreign terrorists applying for small short-term loans from banks, with no intention to repay them. The 50-page report on the IS states that a framework needs to be developed to choke funds for these terror groups. Besides India, member countries including the United States (US), France and Russia also highlighted the use of social media by the IS to raise funds. "Fundraising advertisements are usually placed in social networks and thematic websites, as well as in specialized media, closed online forum and sent in private messages," the report says. A case in point is the pro-IS Twitter handler Mehdi Masroor Biswas, who was arrested by Karnataka police for running @ shamiwitness. Explaining a modus operandi, the report says, "Individuals associated with ISIL calls for donation via Twitter and asked the donors to contact them through Skype. Once on Skype, the donors are asked to buy an international prepaid card and send them the number of this prepaid card via Skype. The fundraiser will send this card number to one of his followers in a neighbouring country from Syria, who would sell this card number at a lower price and give the cash proceeds to ISIS." Another trend being noticed worldwide for terror financing is "crowd funding techniques" which is being used to transfer funds abroad by avoiding regulated financial entities. Canada's Financial Intelligence Unit shared its experience, saying the authorities recently zeroed in on an individual who left Canada, prompting an investigation. The probe was linked to a crowd funding website that allows people to easily set up fundraising web pages and collect donations.
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November - 18 
According to a report prepared by the intelligence agencies, nearly 150 Indian youths, mostly from South India, are believed to be attracted to the Islamic State (IS/ISIS) and sympathetic to the group's activities, reports First Post on November 19. "Most of them are in regular contact with some I
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According to a report prepared by the intelligence agencies, nearly 150 Indian youths, mostly from South India, are believed to be attracted to the Islamic State (IS/ISIS) and sympathetic to the group's activities, reports First Post on November 19. "Most of them are in regular contact with some ISIS activists through online. Hence, we have kept all them under surveillance of security forces," an unnamed official said. Among those who are currently fighting for ISIS include two youth from Kalyan in the outskirts of Mumbai (Maharashtra), an Australia-based Kashmiri, one youth from Telangana, one from Karnataka, one Oman-based Indian and another Singapore-based Indian. Among the six Indians, who fought alongside ISIS and got killed were three Indian Mujahideen (IM) terrorists, including Sultan Ajmer Shah and Bada Sajid, who had joined its ranks after being in Pakistan, two from Maharashtra and one from Telangana, the report said.
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November - 18 
India has frozen assets worth Euro 300,000 (over INR 2.12 core) of over three dozen entities on charges of terrorist financing and money laundering of illicit funds, according to a report by Financial Action Task Force (FATF), Daily Excelsior reports on November 19. The body has conducted a mid-sess
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India has frozen assets worth Euro 300,000 (over INR 2.12 core) of over three dozen entities on charges of terrorist financing and money laundering of illicit funds, according to a report by Financial Action Task Force (FATF), Daily Excelsior reports on November 19. The body has conducted a mid-session review of various countries and economic powers of the world in the wake of the increased activities of Islamic State (IS) around the globe. As part of India’s initiative against suspect funds and those related to terrorism, the FATF report said the country has frozen assets to the tune of Euro 3 lakh belonging to 37 entities till August 15, 2015. “In light of the growing threat of ISIL (Islamic State of in Iraq and the Levant) and other terrorist groups, the FATF has taken a renewed focus on the global threat of terrorist financing and terrorism and conducted a fact-finding initiative to determine whether all jurisdictions in the global anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing network have implemented key measures to cut off terrorism-related financial flows, in accordance with the FATF recommendations...This report sets out the results of that exercise,” a report prepared in this regard for the perusal by G20 leaders said.
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November - 19 
Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) appears to be getting back to basics with several cases of the underworld trying to cause communal clashes coming to light, oneindia.com reports on November 20. Several incidents have now been reported in different parts of the country where members of
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Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) appears to be getting back to basics with several cases of the underworld trying to cause communal clashes coming to light, oneindia.com reports on November 20. Several incidents have now been reported in different parts of the country where members of the underworld and religious leaders have been attempting to create a communal stir in the nation. Taking these incidents into account, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) is likely to be roped in as there seems to be a similar motive and modus operandi involved.
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November - 20 
In the wake of the Paris attacks, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (UMHA) decided to build a central database on terror funding by collating financial components of various terror attacks in India in the past, Indian Express reports on November 21. The idea is that the database will help the secur
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In the wake of the Paris attacks, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (UMHA) decided to build a central database on terror funding by collating financial components of various terror attacks in India in the past, Indian Express reports on November 21. The idea is that the database will help the security apparatus establish a pattern for different terror groups and help in choking their source of funding. “The process has begun. More agencies are being roped in. It will take some time but creation of a central database on terror funding will go a long way in tackling terrorism in the country,” said a UMHA official. Sources said agencies have been asked to tabulate money spent on each terror attack, money recovered from arrested terrorists, chain of funds for an attack as revealed during an interrogation and various allied crimes that indirectly lead to funding of terror activities. Of late, investigations have focused on unraveling funding patterns of various terror groups.
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November - 22 
Indian intelligence agencies, with assistance from foreign counterparts, have managed to establish the identity of the six Indian citizens who have died fighting for Islamic State (IS) so far, and uncovered how recruits from India are considered inferior to those from Arab nations, livemint.com repo
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Indian intelligence agencies, with assistance from foreign counterparts, have managed to establish the identity of the six Indian citizens who have died fighting for Islamic State (IS) so far, and uncovered how recruits from India are considered inferior to those from Arab nations, livemint.com reports on November 23. A senior intelligence official, who did not wish to be identified, refused to give details of the foreign agencies that are assisting India by providing inputs regarding Indians, or even expatriates in the Gulf countries, who have joined the ranks of IS. According to a detailed report compiled by multiple agencies, three of those killed fighting for IS are from Karnataka, while one each is from Uttar Pradesh, Telangana and Maharashtra. The deceased have been identified as Athif Vaseem Mohammed from Adilabad, Telangana; Mohammed Umar Subhan from Shivaji Nagar, Bengaluru; Maulana Abdul Kabir Sultan Armar from Bhatkal, Karnataka; Saheem Farooque Tanki from Thane, Maharashtra; Faiz Masood from Bengaluru and Mohammed Sajid alias Bada Sajid from Azamgarh, Uttar Pradesh. Of the dead, Bada Sajid was one of the main operatives of Indian Mujahideen (IM) who escaped to Pakistan after the Batla House encounter in Delhi in September 2008. “We had information that Bada Sajid and at least two more IM operatives who had escaped to Pakistan after the Batla House encounter had moved to Iraq to fight for IS. Of the total 23 Indians who joined the outfit in Iraq and Syria, five are from Karnataka, four each from Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala, three from Tamil Nadu, two from Uttar Pradesh and one from Jammu and Kashmir,’’ the official cited above added. According to the report, the IS destroys the passports of Indian and other foreign nationals on arrival in Iraq and Syria to ensure that they don’t return to their country. “There are credible inputs that IS considers South Asian fighters—from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh—as well as those from some other countries like Nigeria and Sudan to be inferior to Arab fighters,” the report states. In fact, Areeb Majeed, a resident of Kalyan near Mumbai who was brought back from Syria by Indian security agencies, disclosed during custodial interrogation how IS considered Indians to be less martial when compared to Arab fighters. Majeed claimed that he was made to do menial tasks like cleaning toilets.
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November - 23 
Indian Mujahideen (IM) operatives who carried out the Hyderabad blasts on February 21, 2013 were in touch with each other through email IDs created with the help of a 10-page gay adult novel titled “Stuff My Stocking”, a media report said on November 23, reports Zee News. Team leader Riyaz Bhatkal h
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Indian Mujahideen (IM) operatives who carried out the Hyderabad blasts on February 21, 2013 were in touch with each other through email IDs created with the help of a 10-page gay adult novel titled “Stuff My Stocking”, a media report said on November 23, reports Zee News. Team leader Riyaz Bhatkal had instructed his associates to communicate with him only via email or social networking site Nimbuzz. To ensure that their communication is not tracked, the IM operatives created fake email IDs that were changed every month. Bhatkal had sent his four-member IM team a 10-page gay adult novel 'Stuff My Stocking' with the instruction that they would create an email ID on the basis of the first word of the page assigned to them. The email IDs were changed every month depending on the page each member was assigned to read. By the time the blasts were executed in February 2013, each operative had changed his email ID at least five times. Some of the IDs used words such as Ubhot4u, lovesam361, patarasingh, halwa.wala and tashan99.
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November - 23 
Terming terrorism a "cancer" that needed to be removed jointly by world community, China on November 23 called for close cooperation between Indian and Chinese security establishments as the two countries for the first time worked out a joint mechanism to combat the menace, reports Economic Times.
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Terming terrorism a "cancer" that needed to be removed jointly by world community, China on November 23 called for close cooperation between Indian and Chinese security establishments as the two countries for the first time worked out a joint mechanism to combat the menace, reports Economic Times. The joint action plan was finalised during the just- concluded visit of Indian Union Home Minister (UHM) Rajnath Singh to China. Commenting on Singh's visit, first by an Indian Home Minister in a decade, Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei told that during his meeting with Singh last week Premier Li Keqiang called for close cooperation between law enforcement forces of both the countries to combat terrorism, which has become a menace to the world. "During the meeting Li pointed out that the world is filled with both conventional and unconventional security threats and the situation is becoming serious," Hong said. He said law enforcement agencies of the two sides should enhance cooperation to jointly maintain social stability and create favourable conditions for economic development to jointly safeguard world peace and tranquillity. "Terrorism is a cancer that needs to be removed jointly by the international community," Hong said commenting on Paris (France) and Mali attacks. The two sides have already completed five rounds of anti-terrorism exercises between them. Besides coordinating positions on international terrorism, both sides agreed to exchange intelligence on terrorist groups, activities and their links.
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November - 23 
With security and intelligence agencies keeping a close watch on social media platforms, terror outfits are now turning to the hidden web or 'Darknet' to carry out clandestine activities, The Times of India reports on November 24. This, authorities say, has made it almost impossible for cops to trac
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With security and intelligence agencies keeping a close watch on social media platforms, terror outfits are now turning to the hidden web or 'Darknet' to carry out clandestine activities, The Times of India reports on November 24. This, authorities say, has made it almost impossible for cops to track terror suspects and unearth their activities and propaganda. Experts define it as a network that promises anonymity and cannot be accessed without proper authorization, as several proxy servers are used to block entry. Terror outfits, as part of their modus operandi, send a link to this network to their associates on hisher email address. It is only when the receiver clicks on this link that heshe can access the information available on Darknet. Predictably, terror propaganda has shifted its base here from mainstream internet - Darknet is also called the Deep Web. Online campaigners of the Islamic State (IS), whose single point of contact for recruitment is social networking sites like Facebook, too are said to taking shelter under Darknet. After winning people over, the campaigners, sources say , direct these prospective recruits to Darknet, whose websites remain hidden on a browser even after the correct URL is entered. It is here that the discussions about actual propaganda and prospective recruitment are carried out.
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November - 24 
Terror suspects are using the website wikisend for file sharing and are using encrypted messages to avoid surveillance, Asian Age reports on November 25.Top cyber experts of the country say that terror organisations have their own Web browsers and they use them to avoid detection. IS and the Indian
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Terror suspects are using the website wikisend for file sharing and are using encrypted messages to avoid surveillance, Asian Age reports on November 25.Top cyber experts of the country say that terror organisations have their own Web browsers and they use them to avoid detection. IS and the Indian Mujahideen (IM) use advanced encrypted technologies, say experts. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) chargesheet in the Dilsukhnagar twin blast case (February 21, 2013) revealed how the IM accused had operated using encrypted software and wikisend. Leading cyber forensic expert Mr Pendyala Krishna Shastry, who had earlier worked with the Government Examiner for Questioned Documents, said, “Terror suspects use their own web browsers. They are using the web to send encrypted messages.” The NIA in its chargesheet against the IM suspect in the Dilsukhnagar case said that accused Ajaz Shaikh had shared files through wikisend and had sent encrypted fake documents to Riyaz Bhatkal, another key accused in the case. “Ajaz Shaikh prepared a fake ID with the photo of another accused, Tehseen Akhtar, and uploaded the same through wikisend with a password protection encrypted file” revealed investigators.
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November - 25 
In the rural bylanes and the small towns of West Bengal, terror is hiding in plain sight, Hindustan Times reports on November 26. They sometimes manifest in the unassuming next-door-neighbour with a 9-to-5 job, such as Mehdi Mashroor Biswas, an educated middle class youth from Bengal who handled the
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In the rural bylanes and the small towns of West Bengal, terror is hiding in plain sight, Hindustan Times reports on November 26. They sometimes manifest in the unassuming next-door-neighbour with a 9-to-5 job, such as Mehdi Mashroor Biswas, an educated middle class youth from Bengal who handled the IS’ twitter handle from Bengaluru. They also take the form of young housewives trained in using ammunition and making improvised explosive devices in unrecognised madrasas (Islamic Seminary). Thousands of such institutions, many located close to the Bangladesh border, form the base of the radicalisation, training and recruitment of potential jihadists in West Bengal, intelligence officials say. Trainers use video clips, indoctrination documents and short films in Bengali to indoctrinate the youth. These schools often run low-profile training operations, specialising in putting out extremist literature in Bengali and posting such content on Facebook and other social media websites– helping jihadi recruiters lure youth in rural areas. “Years back it was outfits like the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) or the Hizbul Mujahiden (HM) that used Bengal as a conduit and safe haven for cadres to sneak into India from Bangladesh where they arrived from Pakistan. Now terror outfits are on a recruitment drive, both in rural and urban areas. New outfits are showing a kneeling towards organisations like the al Qaida and IS,” said a state Crime Investigation Department (CID) officer. The latest example was seen last week, when Ansar-ut Tawhid fi Bilal al-Hind (AuT) a terror outfit with links to the IS, initiated online propaganda in Bengali to woo Bengali speaking youths in West Bengal and neighbouring Bangladesh. “In Bengal, the situation is critical. For years, a section of unrecognised madrasas have been the hotbed for radicalisation. But the Bardhaman blasts (October 2, 2014) and Masroor’s arrest exposed that the indoctrination and recruitment cells of terror organisations have dug deep,” said a senior Bengal Police official dealing with terrorism. Intelligence sources say West Bengal -- which shares long and semi porous border with Bangladesh -- has been on the radar of Pakistani and Bangladeshi terror outfits for a long time and the radicalisation menace was spreading fast, stoked both by the 10,000-odd unrecognised madrasas and the proliferation of online terror posts.
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November - 26 
A report of the Union Ministry for Home Affairs (UMHA) clearly shows that the number of acquittals in the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) related cases are extremely high, reports oneindia.com. Out of the 111 cases registered against SIMI members, 97 have resulted in acquittals. There are
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A report of the Union Ministry for Home Affairs (UMHA) clearly shows that the number of acquittals in the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) related cases are extremely high, reports oneindia.com. Out of the 111 cases registered against SIMI members, 97 have resulted in acquittals. There are a variety of reasons behind the high rate of acquittals where SIMI cases are concerned. Several Police personnel have been blamed for being vindictive in their approach which just does not help the cause. First and foremost being a former member of the SIMI does not mean an arrest is mandated. Secondly, many arrests have been carried out just on the basis that the persons have been viewing a video or reading the Quran. The other side of the problem is the lack of material against persons. The acquittal rate is high especially in the case of accused persons who are lower in the ranks. It is very difficult to establish a case and get evidence against such persons. Moreover there is also a delay in handing over the cases to the centralised agency which is the National Investigating Agency (NIA).
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November - 27 
Heroin worth over INR 1,500 crore has been seized from Indian frontiers with Pakistan and Bangladesh so far this year (2015) by Border Security Force (BSF), besides significant seizures of arms, ammunition and Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICN), reports Economic Times. "Recovered almost Rs 1,500 cror
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Heroin worth over INR 1,500 crore has been seized from Indian frontiers with Pakistan and Bangladesh so far this year (2015) by Border Security Force (BSF), besides significant seizures of arms, ammunition and Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICN), reports Economic Times. "Recovered almost Rs 1,500 crore worth of Heroin during this year," a press release issued on November 27 by the force said. The seizure of Heroin was 303.589 kilograms, 78 arms, 2,860 number of ammunitions and FICN with face value of INR 2.68 crore, it said. "Active border denomination and intelligence based operations led to the record seizures of Heroin (280.54 kg) during 2015 in Punjab," the release said. The force is carrying out "vulnerability mapping" of vulnerable patches on Indo-Pak border. Vulnerable mapping of Border Out Posts (BOPs) has been completed from the angle of illegal migration, human trafficking, FICN and cattle smuggling, it said.
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November - 28 
Suspected Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agent, identified as Mohammad Aijaz arrested from Meerut, Uttar Pradesh on November 28, has told Special Task Force (STF) that ISI works very much like Islamic State (IS), reports The Times of India. Aijaz who stayed in Bareilly in disguise told interrogat
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Suspected Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agent, identified as Mohammad Aijaz arrested from Meerut, Uttar Pradesh on November 28, has told Special Task Force (STF) that ISI works very much like Islamic State (IS), reports The Times of India. Aijaz who stayed in Bareilly in disguise told interrogators that he was sent to Bangladesh where his handlers kept his passport and sent him illegally into India through a river. According to reports, IS recruiters burn passports of new joinees before assigning them missions. According to STF officials, Aijaz said the ISI 'handlers' had also promised to get his sister married and help his family financially but reneged on their promise and never fulfilled their commitment in the last three years. Deputy Superintendent of Police (STF) Anit Kumar said, "He was given nine-month training and was perfectly conditioned for the job before he was sneaked into India. He is making such statements to gain sympathy of interrogators. His family includes five brothers and three sisters and one of his brothers, as per his disclosure, is employed with the British High Commission in Pakistan." According to Kumar, "Even when STF sleuths were on his trail, he being a deft computer professional gave little chance to us record his conversation with his handlers in Pakistan. After exchanging pleasantries over phone, they used to switch to Skype through which they used to talk for hours. Since it is not possible to track conversation on Skype, we could not get hold of the contents of these conversations." Ajay Pal Singh, another STF official, said, "While being brought back to Bareilly from Meerut after his arrest, Aijaz told cops that ISI had betrayed him by promising to take care of his family in the best possible manner, including getting his sisters married. But they never kept their promise. The monthly payment of INR 50,000 was also never made in full, but in instalments."
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November - 29 
Efforts by Islamic State (IS/ISIS) to establish bases in Bangladesh may pose a serious security threat to the North East region of India in the days to come, reports The Assam Tribune on November 30. According to reports, security agencies are of the view that the possibility of the dreaded terroris
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Efforts by Islamic State (IS/ISIS) to establish bases in Bangladesh may pose a serious security threat to the North East region of India in the days to come, reports The Assam Tribune on November 30. According to reports, security agencies are of the view that the possibility of the dreaded terrorist outfit making attempts to spread towards Assam cannot be ruled out. The IS recently made public its intention of spreading towards Bangladesh and security sources are of the view that if the outfit manages to achieve its goal, the security scenario in the North East will face a serious threat. The fundamentalist forces are already trying to use the ethnic clashes in Assam in 2012 a major issue as the leaders of such forces are mentioning about the riots in their speeches. Under the circumstances, if the IS gets a foothold in Bangladesh, they will definitely try to spread to Assam by making use of the sentiments of the people affected by the riots, sources pointed out. Sources also pointed out that the IS might try to join hands with forces like Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) and as the JMB already has contacts in Assam it will be easier for the IS to use such contacts. The IS, in its monthly mouthpiece Dabiq mentioned about the plan to expand to Bangladesh. The December issue of the Dabiq devoted a full article entitled “Revival of jihad in Bengal”. By Bengal, the IS meant Bangladesh. The article gave a detailed account of the history of jihad in Bangladesh and stressed the need for revival of jihad in that country. The article said that all the mujahedeens should unite to fight against “oppression of Muslims” in Bangladesh and Burma. Security analyst and former General officer commanding (GOC) of the 4 Corps of the Army, Lieutenant General (Retd) DB Shekhatkar expressed the view that India should take adequate precautionary measures to prevent the IS from spreading its bases to India. He said that India should also take the neighbouring countries, particularly Bangladesh and Myanmar on board and a coordinated effort should be launched to check the growth of IS before it is too late. The outfits like IS never differentiates international borders and India should not wait for massive explosions to go off and adequate precautionary measures should be taken before it is too late. As the IS mentioned about Bangladesh and Myanmar, the North East region will be trapped in between and there is every reason to believe that the region would not be left out of its operational area by the IS, Shekhatkar said.
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November - 29 
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has sent a fresh request to Moroccan authorities for recording the statement of Faiza Outalha mainly pertaining to her knowledge about her estranged husband David Headley’s association with Lashker-e-Taiba (LeT) terror group, a move which is apparently aimed a
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The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has sent a fresh request to Moroccan authorities for recording the statement of Faiza Outalha mainly pertaining to her knowledge about her estranged husband David Headley’s association with Lashker-e-Taiba (LeT) terror group, a move which is apparently aimed at unravelling the role of state actors in Pakistan in 26/11 (November 26, 2008) attacks. The development came after the Moroccan authorities, while executing a Letters Rogatory (LR) sent by the NIA in 2012 after many months, had sent a statement of Outalha recorded by the law enforcing agencies of that country. The fresh request has been with a French Translation as the Government of Morocco had returned previous requests asking for a translation of the documents as per the rule of the requested country, they said. French is generally used by the Moroccan government for international diplomacy. In the absence of any Mutual Assistance Legal Treaty between India and Morocco, the LR has been issued on the basis of “Assurance of Reciprocity”, thereby promising the African country of all assistance in any legal cases in future. Outalha had visited India twice and was used by Headley, while carrying out a reconnaissance mission at Hotel Taj Mahal in Mumbai where she was ostensibly on a visit.
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November - 30 
India's efforts to get Abdul Wahid Siddibapa, the alleged 'financer' of Indian Mujahideen (IM), deported from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have come to a nought, with the West Asian country making it clear that Wahid will be sent to India only after extradition process is complete, Economic Times
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India's efforts to get Abdul Wahid Siddibapa, the alleged 'financer' of Indian Mujahideen (IM), deported from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have come to a nought, with the West Asian country making it clear that Wahid will be sent to India only after extradition process is complete, Economic Times reports on December 1. Wahid, who was caught in the UAE in 2014 on the basis of a Red Corner Notice, is wanted in connection with the conspiracy in a series of bomb blasts including 2006 Mumbai serial blasts, 2008 Delhi serial blasts and 2010 Chinnaswamy Stadium blasts in Bengaluru, officials said. His name first cropped up during the interrogations of Yasin Bhatkal, who was arrested in August 2013 near India-Nepal border. Based on the description given by Bhatkal, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) got an Interpol's Red Corner Notice issued against Wahid. Central Bureau of Investigation officials said that Wahid could have been deported earlier had the information between the Indian agencies been shared on time. The delays lead to Wahid being produced before a magistrate, which left extradition as the only option. According to government officials, Pakistan is using its diplomatic channels to stall the extradition of Wahid at the behest of the top leadership of IM. "He is one of the key financer of IM who had helped them in logistics and his arrest has dented their capabilities," said an NIA official. Wahid is the son of Bhatkal's father's cousin and has been based in Dubai for past 10 years where he is said to have multiple business interests. "His extradition will be a huge success for Indian agencies", a senior official said.
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November - 30 
Irshad Ansari, his son Asfaq Ansari and their relative Mohammed Jahangir, who were arrested for suspected connection with Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), have been charged with waging war against the state, The Times of India reports on December 1. Police Prosecutor Avijit Chatterjee s
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Irshad Ansari, his son Asfaq Ansari and their relative Mohammed Jahangir, who were arrested for suspected connection with Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), have been charged with waging war against the state, The Times of India reports on December 1. Police Prosecutor Avijit Chatterjee said they found a lot of espionage evidence against the three, including drawings, photos and maps of vital installations Netaji Subhas Dock of Kolkata Port Trust and Garden Reach Ship Builders. Calling it a "clear antinational act", Chatterjee said the three supplied information and data to the intelligence agency of a neighbouring country, arguing against their bail plea. The Police will now interrogate them to trace the tentacles of the espionage network. Special Task Force (STF) officers said they had evidence on how Irshad and Jahangir visited Karachi (Pakistan) in 1985, when they probably stepped into the ISI traps. Investigators found that the Irshad's a family of five brother and five sisters from Bihar, came to Kolkata in early childhood. Their elder sister got married into a family based in Bangladesh but migrated to Pakistan during the Liberation War. Irshad's two elder brothers also settled down in Karachi where they ran business. "On the pretest of visiting them in Karachi, Irshad and Jahangir visited Pakistan a number of times," an STF officer said. The NIA, which has started interrogating the three in a Fake Indian Currency Note (FICN) racket. An NIA team has reached Malda District to probe the arrest of a Bangladeshi national, Majrul Rehman who was caught with fake notes on November 29, while other security agencies are in touch with the Kolkata Police's STF to question the three. "We will assess the quality of notes to check if they came from the same source," the official said. "The ISI modules being closely linked with FICN rackets," said an NIA officer. Interrogations of the three have also revealed that the Ansaris helped Pakistani national Mohammadd Ejaz, arrested in Meerut (Uttar Pradesh) for being an alleged ISI agent, get a job at the Garden Reach Shipbuilders. Ejaz managed a labourer's job at the shipbuilder's company, reportedly with the help of Irshad who worked there.
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November - 30 
The interrogation of the arrested Border Security Force (BSF) Head Constable Abdul Rasheed and his handler Kafaitullah Khan has led the Crime Branch to probe an Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) mole in the Pakistan High Commission in Delhi who may be facilitating anti-India activities, The Times of
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The interrogation of the arrested Border Security Force (BSF) Head Constable Abdul Rasheed and his handler Kafaitullah Khan has led the Crime Branch to probe an Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) mole in the Pakistan High Commission in Delhi who may be facilitating anti-India activities, The Times of India reports on December 1. Police said Khan had been called to Pakistan by his handlers in the ISI to discuss developments in recruitments and information-sharing. However, his visa had expired so he was asked to meet a person at the high commission, whose identity has not been disclosed, and submit his passport. Rasheed, who has been remanded in police custody till December 7, 2015 had passed on the Army's frontier war plan to ISI. Delhi Police has recovered a copy of the plan, called Order of Battle (ORBAT), from Rasheed apart from other sensitive documents. ISI had also obtained the exact location and strength of two Rashtriya Rifles (RR) units and deployment of BSF units in Poonch, Mendhar and Rajouri in Jammu and Kashmir through the agents. These details have been submitted by the crime branch to a city court as well. The arrested duo are being interrogated to ascertain the identity of their Pakistani handlers and other possible accomplices in the Army and BSF. Police say the duo have accomplices in other security units as well who have been identified and are likely to be arrested in the coming days.
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December - 1 
Enforcement Directorate (ED) is probing suspected links between Hurriyat leader, Firdous Ahmad Shah, Chairman of Democratic Political Movement and one of the financiers of 26/11 (November 26, 2008) terror attacks in Mumbai (Maharashtra), the Lok Sabha (Lower House of Indian Parliament) was informed
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Enforcement Directorate (ED) is probing suspected links between Hurriyat leader, Firdous Ahmad Shah, Chairman of Democratic Political Movement and one of the financiers of 26/11 (November 26, 2008) terror attacks in Mumbai (Maharashtra), the Lok Sabha (Lower House of Indian Parliament) was informed on December 1, reports Indian Express. In a written reply, Minister of State for Home Haribhai Parathibhai Chaudhary said the ED had filed a prosecution complaint against two people under Prevention of Money Laundering Act after the Jammu and Kashmir Police filed a chargesheet under anti-terror law UAPA Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. “The prosecution complaint filed by the Enforcement Directorate does not disclose any links of the two accused with the financing of 26/11 Mumbai terror attack...However, the Enforcement Directorate is conducting further investigations in the matter,” the minister said. The ED, which filed its charge sheet in July 16, 2015 in a money laundering case in the Kashmir Valley, has alleged that Shah, received over Rs three crore between 2007 to 2010. The money was received from ‘Madina Trading’ located in Brescia in Italy and sender was claimed to be Javed Iqbal, a resident of Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK). However, after Italian Police arrested two Pakistani nationals in 2009, it was alleged that the firm had made nearly 300 transfers in the name of Iqbal, who probably had never set his foot in Italy. The Italian Police, while concluding the probe, had said the Brescia-based company had made several transfers using the identity of totally innocent, unsuspecting persons, whose identity cards or passports may have been stolen. The name of Madina trading had cropped up during the investigation of 26/11 Mumbai attacks when it was found that the second payment of USD 229 was wired to Callphonex via Western Union Money Transfer receipt number 8364307716-0 for activating the Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) used during the terror strikes. The sender of this payment was Javed Iqbal and he had used Western Union Money Transfer agent Madina Trading to make the payment to Callphonex.
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December - 1 
India is sharing intelligence on terrorism with 24 countries via the mechanism of Joint Working Groups on Counter-Terrorism, Lok Sabha (Lower House of Indian Parliament) was told on December 1, reports Zee News. In response to a question, Minister of State for Home, Haribhai Parthibhai Chaudhary, sa
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India is sharing intelligence on terrorism with 24 countries via the mechanism of Joint Working Groups on Counter-Terrorism, Lok Sabha (Lower House of Indian Parliament) was told on December 1, reports Zee News. In response to a question, Minister of State for Home, Haribhai Parthibhai Chaudhary, said, "India has Joint Working Groups on Counter-Terrorism with 24 countries, including China...Meetings of these Joint Working Groups are being held from time to time to discuss counter-terrorism issues and share intelligence, experience, expertise, good practices and issues of mutual concern." The Minister added that cross-border terrorism issues are raised by India in Joint Working Group forum with foreign countries. He said, however, that further details in this regard "cannot be disclosed in the interest of national security and bilateral relations with foreign states".
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December - 1 
Suspected Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) operative Asfaq Ansari, former general secretary of Harimohan Ghosh College in Kolkata, has named the two ISI officers who liaised with him, his father Irshad Ansari and maternal uncle Mohammad Jahangir, says Kolkata Police, The Times of India reports on D
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Suspected Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) operative Asfaq Ansari, former general secretary of Harimohan Ghosh College in Kolkata, has named the two ISI officers who liaised with him, his father Irshad Ansari and maternal uncle Mohammad Jahangir, says Kolkata Police, The Times of India reports on December 2. "Asfaq used to get in touch with two ISI officials in Pakistan, apart from Irshad's brother Irfan and Amir Bhai. While Amir Bhai was responsible for handling the Ansari family espionage in Kolkata in the early years, another handler named Salim took over from 2010-11. Salim insisted on using secure media like Skype and codes to communicate," an officer said. "Irshad and Jahangir were not tech-savvy so Asfaq used to get in touch with the Pakistanis through Skype, Viber and email. They had a common mail ID, which was operated form both ends and instructions were saved in the draft box. After the trio got arrested, the mail ID was disabled. We are trying to get in touch with the service provided to retrieve the documents," the officer added. During both his Bangladesh visits, Asfaq handed microchips to a Bangladeshi agent named Probin. "We are not sure what was in the microchips but we know that Probin had escorted Pakistani national Mohammadd Aijaz to the Ansaris' home in Metiabruz," a Kolkata Police officer said. "We have unearthed a deep-rooted spy ring with links to West Bengal and Kashmir. Other members of the ring are being trapped in the dragnet. The Kolkata module had helped facilitate Aijaz's stay in India with false documents. We had arrested Aijaz last week. They introduced him as a relative and even arranged for his 'visits' to Garden Reach Shipbuilders at least three times. They are currently on Kolkata Police remand after which we will try to get them in our custody. The trio will be brought to Meerut and cross-examined with Aijaz," Meerut Special Task Force Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Anit Kumar stated. What turned Irshad into an ISI mole? Police sources say he got in touch with ISI through his elder brother Irfan, who renounced Indian citizenship in 1977 during a visit to Karachi with his family. He visited Kolkata 12-13 times, via Dhaka, after turning into a Pakistan national. It was during one such visit in 2005 that Irfan convinced Irshad to spy for ISI for a monthly payment of Rs 10,000 and a house in Kidderpore, say police. When asked if Irfan had liaised with Asfaq, an officer said, "We are not sure yet but we are definite that the Ansaris were pressurized by family members in Pakistan to join ISI." Police say that besides Irfan, who might be holed up in Bangladesh or Pakistan, at least two other ISI agents were active in Kolkata even a few weeks ago. "We have come across 'Chacha', who travelled extensively between Bengal and UP till 2014. He stayed with the Ansari family in Kolkata for 25 days and acted as mediator between Irfan and Irshad and a Pakistan embassy official posted in Dhaka," explained an officer.
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December - 1 
The Mumbai Police is keeping close tabs on 25 websites that propagate incendiary Jihadi propaganda at the behest of terror group Islamic State (IS), classifying one as ‘extremely dangerous’, Hindustan Times reports on December 2. A source in the Mumbai Police said a majority of the sites were identi
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The Mumbai Police is keeping close tabs on 25 websites that propagate incendiary Jihadi propaganda at the behest of terror group Islamic State (IS), classifying one as ‘extremely dangerous’, Hindustan Times reports on December 2. A source in the Mumbai Police said a majority of the sites were identified during sustained surveillance by the department’s Social Media Lab over the past three-four months, while others were brought to their attention by ethical hackers specialising in hacking such propaganda sites. “The sites were identified from among 50 such propaganda sites during our routine scouting,” a source said, adding that frequent hits to these URLs (links) by users from Mumbai and elsewhere had first raised suspicion. An analysis of the sites revealed that Arabic content in most of them was written using Roman script (English), ostensibly to dodge the filter used by enforcement agencies to monitor Jihadi propaganda literature. Some sites also used the Indonesian dialect, again in Roman script. All 25 websites, barring a few exceptions, are affiliated to the IS and being used to propagate the terror group’s ideology. “While some of the sites contain videos of preachers appealing to the youth to join the terror group’s fold, others contain plain literature aimed at enticing young men towards the Jihadi ideology,” a source said, adding that most of the sites were interactive to keep the recruitment channel open.
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December - 6 
With Islamic State (IS) raising its head in Bangladesh, West Bengal government has directed all security agencies to step up vigil on some madrasas (Islamic Seminary) in areas bordering Bangladesh, Hindustan Times reports on December 7. An alert has been sounded across all Police Stations in all are
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With Islamic State (IS) raising its head in Bangladesh, West Bengal government has directed all security agencies to step up vigil on some madrasas (Islamic Seminary) in areas bordering Bangladesh, Hindustan Times reports on December 7. An alert has been sounded across all Police Stations in all areas bordering Bangladesh. While local Police Stations have been asked to keep an eye on suspicious activities, if any, in these madrasas, the state Intelligence Branch (IB) has started collecting regular updates. “We have information that some suspicious people have been spotted in some madrasas in Murshidabad. They put up at these madrasas for two-three days and then disappear. We have alerted all police stations and asked them to dig out details on these people,” an IB officer said. “ISIS has already declared its intent to export terror to India and will look at madrasas to recruit fighters,” the officer said.
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December - 7 
After repeated cases of migrant labourers being held with Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICN) of high denominations, in Kerala, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has decided to probe the origin of such notes, The Times of India reports on December 8. The NIA, after assessing recent cases reporte
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After repeated cases of migrant labourers being held with Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICN) of high denominations, in Kerala, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has decided to probe the origin of such notes, The Times of India reports on December 8. The NIA, after assessing recent cases reported in Ernakulam and Kottayam Districts, has found that the counterfeits were printed with great precision using high quality paper. A senior NIA official said the seized FICN are suspected to be of Pakistan-origin. According to NIA officials, such counterfeits can only be printed by a neigbouring country on sophisticated machineries. "Similar FICNs seized were subjected to examination in Mumbai in 2008. The physical features of the seized FICNs were tested and found similarities with Pakistan currency. Also, the paper used for FICNs matched with the legal tender of Pakistan," the officer said. The NIA has found that the currencies are initially trafficked to Malda District of West Bengal which borders India and Bangladesh. Moreover, migrant labourers who were held with FICNs in Ernakulam and Kottayam were getting a commission of 50 per cent.
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December - 7 
Dawood Ibrahim has built his empire with associates from India, Pakistan, and the Gulf, The Hindu reports on December 8. Dawood has major investment in the 3200-hectare self-contained Dubai Investment Park and in a high-rise building in UAE Marina. According to recent reports, the high-rise building
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Dawood Ibrahim has built his empire with associates from India, Pakistan, and the Gulf, The Hindu reports on December 8. Dawood has major investment in the 3200-hectare self-contained Dubai Investment Park and in a high-rise building in UAE Marina. According to recent reports, the high-rise building on the Marina may be facing legal troubles. He also has plots and other investments in the UAE, a federation of seven emirates in the Persian Gulf. It is the UAE that seems to be the major centre for his investments, and also the control centre from where the criminal syndicate is run, especially the Indian side of the operations. In the summer of 2013, according to intercepts, Dawood was actively involved in discussions with his associates in the UAE regarding a residential-cum-commercial project in that country. He could have made 155 million dirham (Rs.279 crore) in profit if he had outright sold the apartments and shops. However, he was veering towards renting out the properties to earn about 30 million dirham (Rs.54 crore) as annual rent. He runs an office in Dubai, from where cheques and other payments are issued after instructions from him. He has been buying and selling property in the UAE market. For example, in early 2013, he bought a villa for 8.5 million dirham (Rs.15 crore). At the end of the year, Dawood floated a company in Dubai with his associates, where he had a 25 per cent stake. Around the same time, Dawood told his UAE associates about his 25 million dirham (Rs.45 crore) investment in properties, and also asked them to get a cheque of 50 million dirham (Rs.90 crore) for disbursing some payments.
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December - 7 
The arrest of a 20-year-old youth who had attacked a police constable to protest against the beef ban in Maharashtra has led to a terror module-in-the making being crippled, claims the state anti-terrorism squad (ATS), reports Times of India on December 8. Six youths in the module in Yavatmal distri
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The arrest of a 20-year-old youth who had attacked a police constable to protest against the beef ban in Maharashtra has led to a terror module-in-the making being crippled, claims the state anti-terrorism squad (ATS), reports Times of India on December 8. Six youths in the module in Yavatmal district had been brainwashed to join the Islamic State (IS). At least three arrests in the state have broken its back, believe the ATS, which is looking at it as a breakthrough since most known SIMI and Indian Mujahidden leaders have been arrested and their terror cells smashed.
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December - 7 
The Special Task Force (STF), believes that the intelligence network of the Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) in Kolkata is the tip of the iceberg, The Times of India reports on December 8. Officials say that Fareed Khan, the Army jawan (trooper) arrested from Siliguri in West Bengal has
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The Special Task Force (STF), believes that the intelligence network of the Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) in Kolkata is the tip of the iceberg, The Times of India reports on December 8. Officials say that Fareed Khan, the Army jawan (trooper) arrested from Siliguri in West Bengal has deep-rooted connections with ISI agents in Kolkata. "During interrogation, Irshad admitted that Md Eijaz, recently arrested by Meerut Police, had entered Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE) with gate pass twice between July 2013 and January 2014 and made two 20-minute videos and sent them to Pakistan," an STF official said. A source in the investigating agency said at least seven GRSE officials are under scanner, whose antecedents are being verified. They might also be interrogated. On its part, the GRSE authorities have started an internal inquiry into any possible leak from this high-security ship manufacturing unit. But when asked about it, a senior GRSE official said: "We have been instructed not to say anything." According to defence sources, Fareed Khan, have passed on some vital information about deployment of troops in the eastern and northeastern states over the last eight months. This information may not be too important for Pakistan but could be extremely crucial for China, now that India has strengthened defences along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). "It is a known fact that the ISI is in regular touch with China. Recently, the ISI was instrumental in brokering a deal between the Taliban and the Afghan government. This happened in China. There has been a lot of development in India's eastern and northeastern sector in the last few years. The Army's 33 Corps, based at Sukna in north Bengal, is of great strategic importance and is in charge of defences in Sikkim. Khan was posted to the 33 Corps after his deployment in Kashmir. It is likely that he collected vital information and sent it back to his handlers," an official said.
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December - 10 
As reported earlier, the identity of a 23-year-old computer engineer from Chennai (Tamil Nadu), who was trying to enter Syria to join the Islamic State (IS), has been revealed as Mohammad Nasir, and it has been stated that on December 10, he was deported from Sudan, according to Indian Express. Nasi
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As reported earlier, the identity of a 23-year-old computer engineer from Chennai (Tamil Nadu), who was trying to enter Syria to join the Islamic State (IS), has been revealed as Mohammad Nasir, and it has been stated that on December 10, he was deported from Sudan, according to Indian Express. Nasir, had reportedly travelled to Sudan to meet an IS recruiter who was facilitating his journey to Syria. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has registered a case against Nasir, and is set to take him into custody. According to sources, Nasir moved to Dubai in June, 2015 and was working with a firm there. “It was after he moved to Dubai that he got indoctrinated by online IS propaganda. He came in contact with an IS recruiter who helped him plan his travel to Syria to join IS fighters there. This IS contact advised Nasir not to attempt to enter Syria via Turkey, but to go through Libya,” said a source. “Nasir bought an air ticket to meet his contact in Sudan — the contact even arranged his visa. By then, Indian agencies had become aware of Nasir’s plans and alerted Sudanese authorities,” said the source. It is suspected that Nasir also underwent some “training”, sources said.
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December - 11 
The Indian security establishment as well as prosecutors in 26/11 (November 26, 2008) Mumbai attack case believe conspirator David Coleman Headley's evidence, to be recorded in the trial court in India in February 2016, will help corroborate the disclosures made by co-accused Abu Jundal regarding th
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The Indian security establishment as well as prosecutors in 26/11 (November 26, 2008) Mumbai attack case believe conspirator David Coleman Headley's evidence, to be recorded in the trial court in India in February 2016, will help corroborate the disclosures made by co-accused Abu Jundal regarding the role of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) masterminds as well as Pakistani state actors, The Times of India reports on December 12. "Jundal, who is on trial in the 26/11 case here, was very much present in the LeT control room along with other LeT masterminds. Jundal's voice figures in the transcripts of the conversation between 26/11 attackers and those in the control room. Headley's examination will help to verify the information given by Jundal (who was deported from Saudi Arabia in 2012) regarding the involvement of LeT masterminds and Pakistani state actors," Special Public Prosecutor in the 26/11 trial Ujjwal Nikam stated on December 11. According to a senior officer of the central security establishment, Headley's turning an approver was a pragmatic offer to accept, given that he is already sentenced to 35 years in prison by the US courts and his plea bargain agreement with the US federal authorities rules out his extradition to India. "So it was the best bet to accept him as a witness, as he was in touch with the top LeT brass including prime mastermind Hafiz Saeed and even retired/serving Pakistani Army/ISI officers identified by him as Major Samir Ali and Major Iqbal. His cross-examination will help nail their role, besides helping the prosecution secure the conviction of Abu Jundal," said a senior home ministry officer.
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December - 15 
India and Pakistan on December 15, struck a rare united stand to forge collective action to curb terrorism at the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation (SCO) meeting in China where India also called on Islamabad to end cross border terrorism and external interference in Afghanistan, according to Asian
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India and Pakistan on December 15, struck a rare united stand to forge collective action to curb terrorism at the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation (SCO) meeting in China where India also called on Islamabad to end cross border terrorism and external interference in Afghanistan, according to Asian Age. “Many of the problems confronting our region, especially the rising tide of cross-border terrorism and extremism, require trans-national solutions,” Minister of State for External Affairs General V.K. Singh (Retired) said while speaking at the SCO heads of government meeting in central China’s Zhengzhou city. “International terrorism has emerged as the most serious threat to our peaceful and pluralistic societies. Terrorism threatens to derail our developmental aspirations and undermine our very way of life,” Singh said as he sought close cooperation among SCO member states and zero tolerance towards terrorism to curb the menace. “Political convenience can no longer provide an alibi for backing terrorist groups ideologically, financially or through material support. Today, the world has realised that there are no good terrorists,” he said, in an apparent reference to Pakistan, whose Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was also present.
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December - 16 
As many as 34 persons, including 11 serving and retired Armed Force personnel and one serving Border Security Force (BSF) personnel, have been arrested over the past three years on charges of spying for Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), as per statistics furnished by Union Ministry of Ho
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As many as 34 persons, including 11 serving and retired Armed Force personnel and one serving Border Security Force (BSF) personnel, have been arrested over the past three years on charges of spying for Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), as per statistics furnished by Union Ministry of Home Affairs (UMHA) on December 16, reports The Times of India. In reply to a Rajya Sabha (Upper House of Indian Parliament), Minister of State for Home Haribhai Parathibhai Chaudhary told that 14 persons have been arrested for alleged espionage on behalf of ISI so far in 2015. They include 5 serving/retired armed force personnel, 1 serving BSF personnel, 7 civilians and 1 Pakistani. Earlier, in 2014, 7 persons, including 4 serving/retired armed force personnel, two civilians and a Sri Lankan, were arrested on similar charges. The 13 persons arrested in 2013 on charges of espionage for ISI included 2 serving/retired armed force personnel and 11 civilians. "During the course of neutralization of Pak espionage modules between period 2013-15 (till date), 34 accused have been arrested under the provisions of the Official Secrets Act, 1923," Singh said.
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December - 17 
A 16-year-old girl from Pune (Maharashtra) who was apparently radicalised by her Islamic State (IS) contacts abroad and brainwashed to go to Syria, has been questioned by Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) and sent to a de-radicalisation programme, an ATS officer said on December 17, reports Hindustan Times
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A 16-year-old girl from Pune (Maharashtra) who was apparently radicalised by her Islamic State (IS) contacts abroad and brainwashed to go to Syria, has been questioned by Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) and sent to a de-radicalisation programme, an ATS officer said on December 17, reports Hindustan Times. “The girl was interrogated by the ATS last week after monitoring her movements for many days on getting information about her. It confirmed her initiation by the ISIS…The interrogation of the girl revealed that she was ready to go to any extent to carry out the ISIS directive,” Pune ATS officer Bhanupratap Barge stated. The girl is now undergoing a de-radicalisation programme with the help of her family members and community religious leaders, who are fully cooperating with us, he said. According to the ATS, the girl got attracted to the ISIS ideology after watching a documentary on television and subsequently started regularly monitoring news on the Al Jazeera channel. “Later, she used the Internet to get in touch with ISIS contacts and got in touch with about 200 young people from different countries. An interrogation of her revealed that she was told to come to Syria for medical education and for further initiation,” Barge said.
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December - 19 
Dawood Ibrahim, is the brain behind smuggling Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICN) from Bangladesh to West Bengal with the support of his mentors in Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), New Indian Express reports on December 20. Earlier, Bangladeshi officials arrested six men from near Dhaka a
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Dawood Ibrahim, is the brain behind smuggling Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICN) from Bangladesh to West Bengal with the support of his mentors in Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), New Indian Express reports on December 20. Earlier, Bangladeshi officials arrested six men from near Dhaka airport and seized several crores of FICN. Among the arrested was Pakistani national Abdullah alias Salim. Interrogation revealed that their boss was Dawood Ibrahim, and that D-Company (as his gang is called) has a network in Malda District and in some border districts of West Bengal. Investigation revealed that Abdullah migrated to Karachi with his family in 1979 from Tarpurchandi in Chandpur in Bangladesh. He joined D-Company through Aslam Chaudhury alias Taimur, and kept in touch with the “manager of FICN smuggling” Subabhai alias Ershad.Abdullah revealed that during the last six years, the smuggling of thousands of crores of FICN to Malda from Chapainawabgunj District in Bangladesh was controlled by Iqbal Kana alias Adis Iqbal alias Malikbhai of D-Company, a resident of Shalimar Gate in Lahore. Malikbhai vetted each recruit before engaging them in smuggling FICN from printing presses in Nepal to Bangladesh and then into West Bengal. There were several printing presses in Lahore and Karachi too, he said. Five others who were arrested said that Bengalis in Pakistan who did not have passports and wanted to return to Bangladesh were being recruited. D-Company arranged “out passes” for them through the Bangladesh High Commission in Pakistan. They carried trunk loads of FICN, which was allowed to pass through the green channel at Dhaka airport by D-Company and ISI officials. The NIA (National Investigation Agency) was informed that a FICN “stock yard” existed in Shibgunj and Daulatpur in Malda, which is managed by Saddam Sheikh. The modus operandi was to sell INR 100,000 of FICN for INR 40,000 to businessmen. The profit from smuggling FICN is sent through Karmakar, a hawala (illegal money transaction) operator in Malda, to D-Company’s agents in Kajipara, Mirpur, Gabtuli and Gulshan in Dhaka. The thousands of crores of rupees are then routed to Dawood in Karachi and Lahore.
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December - 19 
Suspected Islamic State (IS) hackers may have routed a Delhi-based firm's payments from a London client to the jihadist group's bank accounts in Turkey, The Times of India reports on December 20. Delhi Police say the fraud amounting to INR 5-6 crore is the biggest in the capital this year and was po
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Suspected Islamic State (IS) hackers may have routed a Delhi-based firm's payments from a London client to the jihadist group's bank accounts in Turkey, The Times of India reports on December 20. Delhi Police say the fraud amounting to INR 5-6 crore is the biggest in the capital this year and was possibly carried out by hacking the email account of an employee. While Police started off investigating the IS angle because the money was diverted to Turkey, their suspicion was strengthened on learning that the London (UK) client provides humanitarian aid to war-hit people in Syria and refugees in countries like Turkey. An FIR was being registered at an undisclosed Police Station on December 19. The victim firm is based in south Delhi and provides consultancy and advisory services to development and social projects in India and abroad. The client's website states it provides relief and other assistance to people inside Syria and to refugee families in neighbouring countries, including Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey. The complaint states that the Delhi firm had regularly received payments from the client (name withheld) in its account with Kotak Mahindra Bank, and when they stopped in October, it waited patiently for the sake of goodwill. However, when it followed-up a few days ago, the client claimed it had processed some of the payments. It sent an email on December 18, giving details of the accounts credited, thus alerting the firm to the fraud.
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December - 20 
Kerala Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala has launched a “hearts and minds” operation to prevent the radicalisation of disaffected tribal youth in Wayanad, Palakkad and Malappuram Districts, reports The Hindu on December 21. It is centred on the special recruitment of tribal youth and women into the S
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Kerala Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala has launched a “hearts and minds” operation to prevent the radicalisation of disaffected tribal youth in Wayanad, Palakkad and Malappuram Districts, reports The Hindu on December 21. It is centred on the special recruitment of tribal youth and women into the State Police force through the Public Service Commission. The Minister said in a press release recently that it was an ideal measure to stop Maoists from recruiting such youngsters to their cause. The government has also ordered additional protection to village offices and Police Stations in Wayanad. The Forest Department could seek the help of the Police to conduct patrols.
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December - 20 
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has identified the main conspirator, Zahid Miyan alias Jabo, based in South Africa who allegedly arranged the list Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leaders to be targeted on the directions of Dawood Ibrahim's henchmen Chhota S
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The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has identified the main conspirator, Zahid Miyan alias Jabo, based in South Africa who allegedly arranged the list Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leaders to be targeted on the directions of Dawood Ibrahim's henchmen Chhota Shakeel and Javed Chikna, The Times of India reports on December 21. Sources said a non-bailable warrant has been issued against Jabo to obtain an Interpol Red Corner Notice against him. The NIA will send a Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) request to the US and South Africa seeking details of emails and chats on which conspirators interacted while planning and executing the murders of two Bharuch (Gujarat) based right-wing leaders Shirish Bangali and Pragnesh Mistry on November 2, 2015.
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December - 20 
Three youth, Ayaz Sultan (23), Mohsin Sheikh (26) and Wajid Sheikh (25) who have been reported to be missing from Malwani area in Mumbai District, may have joined Islamic State (IS), suspect the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), dnaindia.com reports on December 21. The latest development comes days after
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Three youth, Ayaz Sultan (23), Mohsin Sheikh (26) and Wajid Sheikh (25) who have been reported to be missing from Malwani area in Mumbai District, may have joined Islamic State (IS), suspect the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), dnaindia.com reports on December 21. The latest development comes days after the ATS questioned a Pune-based 16-year-old Muslim girl, who was reportedly radicalised by her IS contacts abroad and brain-washed to go to Syria. According to a report the trio had left from home on different dates in the last two months citing various reasons, however they have not returned since then. The ATS also suspect that Ayaz, who left home on October 30, has already left the country. Ayaz was working in a call centre in Malad. However, there are no leads yet about Wajid and Mohsin. Both of them had left their home on December 16. Wajid, a graduate, was running the family’s wholesale business in lemons, while Mohsin was driving auto. The trio was also saving money to travel and had approached a travel agent to plan their journey.
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December - 24 
Noor Mohammed, part of the trio suspected to have left home at Malwani near Malad on December 15 to join the Islamic State (IS), returned home on December 24, and was picked up for questioning, reports The Times of India. Mohsin Sayyed, who's still missing, has been tracked to the outskirts of Mahar
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Noor Mohammed, part of the trio suspected to have left home at Malwani near Malad on December 15 to join the Islamic State (IS), returned home on December 24, and was picked up for questioning, reports The Times of India. Mohsin Sayyed, who's still missing, has been tracked to the outskirts of Maharashtra and an Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) team is out to intercept him, said sources. The third youth, Wajid Shaikh, was detained by the ATS in Pune and returned home on December 23. The ATS has said Shaikh did not seem to have been in touch with IS but was in contact with persons who were trying to indoctrinate him. The security agencies are now worried about Ayaz Sultan, another youth who slipped away from his Malwani home on October 30, 2015 and went to Afghanistan. Shaikh has told the ATS Sultan used to show them documents and videos of IS. Officials said the immigration cell of Delhi airport has reported that Sultan flew to Kabul on November 1, 2015. Opinion among security officials is divided on Sultan's intentions since Kabul is not under IS. "Ayaz cleverly chose Delhi to fly to Kabul and not Mumbai and, hence, we strongly suspect he may have travelled onwards to IS areas from Kabul," said an officer, adding that it raises the prospect that Kabul could be the new route to IS zones. "We have sought the help of the embassy to track Sultan. We have given them details of his passport and hope to hear from them soon," the officer added. Another officer said since there are a lot more opportunities in Kabul, Sultan may have opted to take up a job there for better prospects. Mohammed was being questioned till late at night. Shaikh had said he, Sayyed and Mohammed had left as Sultan's parents were pestering them about his whereabouts and someone said the Police would question them since he was a friend. They had travelled to Karnataka, then Hyderabad and on to Chennai. There spooked by TV news about their disappearance, they decided to return. But Mohammed and Sayyed deserted Shaikh and disappeared.
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December - 24 
When Karnataka Government handed over the Church Street blast (December 28, 2014) case to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) earlier in 2015, it was clear that the move may not yield the desired results, as the NIA was facing severe staff crunch, The Times of India reports on December 25. A
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When Karnataka Government handed over the Church Street blast (December 28, 2014) case to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) earlier in 2015, it was clear that the move may not yield the desired results, as the NIA was facing severe staff crunch, The Times of India reports on December 25. According to Union Ministry of Home Affairs (UMHA) the Hyderabad bureau of the agency, which is handling two important terror cases for Karnataka, including the Church Street blast case, is facing a 20 per cent staff shortage. While the sanctioned strength for the Hyderabad bureau is 110, there are only 81 people posted at the agency. Recently, the officer responsible for investigations in Karnataka was transferred to the State Human Rights Commission. A new appointment is awaited. This short-staffed bureau is handling 11 cases already. An officer from the Hyderabad agency said although investigations are on, they do feel the pinch of staff shortage. He said not just investigation but supporting functions are also getting affected. Considering most of the cases probed by NIA are under the provisions of the Unlawful Activities (prevention) Act 1967- UAPA, investigation by an officer of the rank of deputy superintendent of police is mandated. The increasing number of cases, coupled with staff crunch are hitting probe, say officials. Except for one centre, all other NIA bureaus are experiencing manpower shortage ranging from 20 per cent to 69 per cent. Overall, the agency is facing a 29 per cent staff shortage. The New Delhi bureau, which had 54 cases, has 284 posts filled out of its sanctioned strength of 343 posts. In Kolkata, only 17 personnel are posted against the sanctioned strength of 81. In the Mumbai bureau there are 38 vacancies against the strength of 95.
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December - 24 
With the case of suspected Popular Front of India (PFI) activists running a weapons training camp at Narath in Kannur District in April 2013 reaching trial stage, there is concern that the accused are trying to influence witnesses and delay proceedings, according to the National Investigation Agency
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With the case of suspected Popular Front of India (PFI) activists running a weapons training camp at Narath in Kannur District in April 2013 reaching trial stage, there is concern that the accused are trying to influence witnesses and delay proceedings, according to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), which is probing the case, The Times of India reports on December 25. "The tactics being used are the same as in the hand-chopping case of Thodupuzha Newman College professor and the Bengaluru blast case. The witnesses are made to turn hostile by various means," said an NIA source. NIA suspects that the manner in which the 22nd accused, Kamarudheen, surrendered in court was also intended to delay the court process. "There is a concerted effort to sabotage the case with the support of leaders of a major political party in the ruling front. However, evidence clearly shows that it was a weapons training camp. The members were taught to hurl bombs and use swords, for which they were taught human anatomy," the official said. Under threat, the witnesses are afraid to even register a Police complaint. However, the accused could not get bail. Many parents are now hesitant to send their children to PFI training programmes, said a cop. "So they are hell bent on sabotaging the case to regain their eroding mass support," he said.
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December - 27 
A section of local bloggers and frequent social media chatters in Nagpur (Maharashtra) are learnt to be under scanner of the security agencies for spreading radical ideologies of terror outfits like Islamic State (IS) and the likes, The Times of India reports on December 28. Though senior officers a
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A section of local bloggers and frequent social media chatters in Nagpur (Maharashtra) are learnt to be under scanner of the security agencies for spreading radical ideologies of terror outfits like Islamic State (IS) and the likes, The Times of India reports on December 28. Though senior officers are not revealing the exercise, sources said some chatters openly express their intention to join jihad (holy war) in and outside India while interacting in the public forum. There are also groups on the social media who vociferously express their anti-national sentiments. "Evidence is being gathered before swooping down on some suspects. There is a very thin line between ideological discussion and crime of waging war against the state," said the officer. It is also learnt that security agencies may also start flushing out illegal Bangladeshi immigrants who work as menial labourers at construction sites, bakeries, hotels, eateries, factories and such places. Though mostly they are economic migrants, security agencies feel some among them pose a threat by bringing in Fake Indian Currency Note (FICN) and even some dangerous materials on behalf of the jihadis targeting India.
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December - 27 
With a rising number of youth getting attracted to Islamic State (IS), the Centre has sought an action taken report from the states governments and union territories on the initiatives taken by them to counter the threat posed by the outfit, Economic Times reports on December 28. Government official
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With a rising number of youth getting attracted to Islamic State (IS), the Centre has sought an action taken report from the states governments and union territories on the initiatives taken by them to counter the threat posed by the outfit, Economic Times reports on December 28. Government officials said nearly 100 young men and women who are trying to go to Syria and Iraq to join IS are under their scanner. Most of these Indians have joined IS from countries such as Oman, Jordan, Kuwait, the UAE, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, where they have gone for jobs, officials said. As per an analysis carried out by Indian agencies, Indians who joined IS do not "perceive" any sense of injustice in India, but have deep seethed anger towards the West. Law enforcement agencies say they are unable to do anything about Indians staying abroad and joining IS, despite having information about their identity. "We have managed to stop those leaving India and joining IS by roping in their families and friends. The cases of those staying abroad are different as we are unable to do anything unless they return to India or caught in the country of their stay," an official had said.
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December - 29 
An Afghan businessman is believed to be allegedly indoctrinating youth from Maharashtra to join Islamic State (IS), claims National Investigation Agency (NIA) which has sent its first judicial requests in the case to Afghanistan seeking details of the person, New Indian Express reports on December 3
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An Afghan businessman is believed to be allegedly indoctrinating youth from Maharashtra to join Islamic State (IS), claims National Investigation Agency (NIA) which has sent its first judicial requests in the case to Afghanistan seeking details of the person, New Indian Express reports on December 30. The Afghan national, whose name has been withheld, was running business of dry fruits in India and allegedly approached the four youths from Kalyan area neighbouring Mumbai and brainwashed them to join ranks of IS, official sources said. The man had mysteriously disappeared after NIA arrested Areeb Majeed when he was deported from Turkey to India last November. The port of exit of the Afghan national was found out to be from Delhi in December last year, the sources said. Majeed was arrested by NIA upon his return from Iraq and booked under sections 16, 18 and 20 of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) and Section 125 of the Indian Penal Code(IPC).
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December - 29 
As per an alert note shared to Uttar Pradesh Police by intelligence agency, a Bangladesh-based group is planning to target Kamlesh Tiwari of the Hindu Mahasabha who allegedly made blasphemous remarks about Prophet Mohammad earlier this month, The Times of India reports on December 30. The group also
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As per an alert note shared to Uttar Pradesh Police by intelligence agency, a Bangladesh-based group is planning to target Kamlesh Tiwari of the Hindu Mahasabha who allegedly made blasphemous remarks about Prophet Mohammad earlier this month, The Times of India reports on December 30. The group also plans to target the associates of Tiwari and individuals who have supported his statement, said officials. The note reveals the terror group is trying to disrupt the peace and tranquility in the region by planning to attack Tiwari. "Since the alleged blasphemous remarks by Tiwari, we had been on alert and have deployed extra force, who are keeping tab on movements of suspicious persons," said a senior Police official.
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December - 29 
Indian intelligence agencies suspect that there are 23 Indians in Iraq and Syria fighting for Islamic State (IS), IBNLive reports on December 29. Out of the 23 Indians in IS, 17 are from southern states. While six - Abdul Qudus Turki (Bijapur), Mohammad Umar Subahan (Bangalore), Maulana Abdul Kadir
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Indian intelligence agencies suspect that there are 23 Indians in Iraq and Syria fighting for Islamic State (IS), IBNLive reports on December 29. Out of the 23 Indians in IS, 17 are from southern states. While six - Abdul Qudus Turki (Bijapur), Mohammad Umar Subahan (Bangalore), Maulana Abdul Kadir Sultan Armar (Bhatkal), Faiz Masood (Bangalore), Mohammad Riyaz (Bhatkal), Shameel Yakub (Kodagu) - are from Karnataka, four belong to Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. They are Zeba Farheen (Hyderabad), Talmeezur Rahaman (Guntur), Atif Ahmed khan (Hyderabad), Athif Vaseem Mohammad (Adilabad). Four are from Kerala - Mohammad Rishal (Kannur), Mohammad Irfan Iqbal (Kannur), Huda Raheem (Kozhikode), Riyazur Rehman (Kozhikode), three from Tamil Nadu - Mohammad Thayyib Shaik (Vellore), Mohammad Syed Abu Tahir (Karur), Shakul Hameed (Chennai), four from Maharashtra, one from Jammu and Kashmir and one from Uttar Pradesh. Six out of these 23 Indians who had joined the IS network have died and two have returned.
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December - 30 
A statistic that the Union Ministry for Home Affairs (UMHA) suggests that since 2013 there have been 50 arrests of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) in India, oneindia.com reports on December 31. While a cleanup act is on, it would be interesting to note that most of them were not even aware that th
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A statistic that the Union Ministry for Home Affairs (UMHA) suggests that since 2013 there have been 50 arrests of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) in India, oneindia.com reports on December 31. While a cleanup act is on, it would be interesting to note that most of them were not even aware that they were betraying the nation. The note to UMHA states that some fake welfare organisations had been set up and most of these former army personnel had joined it as they were assured placements. These personnel were made to believe that they were interacting with real officials of the army and in the bargain ended up spilling out secrets. While a few former officials were lured into sharing secrets through such organisations others were honey trapped. There are also cases where some former personnel sold out for the money, investigations by the Delhi Police have shown. According to the statistics of the Ministry, there were 35 cases in 2013-14 and 15 this year. There may be more moles. The Delhi Police on the other which is leading this probe states that they have information about several more such moles and in the days to come there will be more arrests. The police also say that following this investigation many moles may have also gone underground.
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December - 30 
Dukhtaran-e-Millat (DeM) 'cheif' Asiya Andrabi, visited Babanagar in Hyderabad, spent about five hours in the house of ex-president of Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), and took a flight back to Srinagar in 2014, while Police, particularly the state Intelligence wing and Hyderabad city Poli
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Dukhtaran-e-Millat (DeM) 'cheif' Asiya Andrabi, visited Babanagar in Hyderabad, spent about five hours in the house of ex-president of Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), and took a flight back to Srinagar in 2014, while Police, particularly the state Intelligence wing and Hyderabad city Police were totally unaware about the visit, New Indian Express reports on December 31. The Police had no inkling of her visit, which has raised the hackles among the top brass, who are now hurriedly making enquiries as to whom she met and what she spoke during her visit. Andrabi, however, denies she has any links with Islamic State (IS) or the recently arrested terror trio, who were all set to leave for Srinagar to meet her, who they claimed would facilitate their crossing over to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), and then to Afghanistan and Syria to join IS. “Firstly, I have no link, even remotely, to ISIS and I have never met these three children. For the last 35 years, I have been fighting for freedom of Kashmir and getting freedom from Indian occupation is my prime objective. It is not possible for me to facilitate any crossover to PoK or facilitate any youth join ISIS. This is a concocted story by the Telangana police,” Andrabi stated. Andrabi however said that she did visit Hyderabad in October 2014 to offer condolences to the family of Syed Salahuddin, who died in a road accident. “I arrived by a flight, drove straight to Babanagar (Salahuddin’s house), spent five hours there and took a flight back to Srinagar,” she asserted. Replying to a query on whether she met the three youths at Salahuddin’s house, as they too are his relatives, she said: “In Salahuddin’s house, they follow strict pardah and there is no way women can meet anyone. I did not meet them.” Asked whether she could indeed facilitate exfiltration of youth into PoK or get them into ISIS ranks, she shot back: “No, impossible. I am only fighting for freedom of Kashmir. I talk to people like Pakistan President Nawaz Sharif and other stake-holders for freedom of Kashmir. Do you think I will talk to these boys and facilitate their travel to POK or Afghanistan to join ISIS?’’ However, top sources said that the J & K Police has warned Telangana Police to be ‘extra vigilant’ in view of Andrabi’s visit last year, which in other words meant that Hyderabad now has a direct link with Kashmir-based terror groups.
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December - 30 
With several Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI)-linked spy rings being exposed in recently, it has come to light that Pakistan's intelligence agency is floating fake ex-servicemen organisations to lure former forces personnel to ferret "authentic" information about serving officers and troop movement
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With several Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI)-linked spy rings being exposed in recently, it has come to light that Pakistan's intelligence agency is floating fake ex-servicemen organisations to lure former forces personnel to ferret "authentic" information about serving officers and troop movements, The Times of India reports on December 31. The former soldiers are being drawn to these fronts by offers like jobs and other rehabilitation measures purportedly intended to further their welfare with gullible, mostly low ranking ex-servicemen falling for the ploy. According to intelligence sources, ex-servicemen are being "trapped" by ISI agents posing as representatives of organizations working for welfare and rehabilitation of retired personnel and seeking "reference" information. "This is a common modus operandi of ISI noticed in north Indian states, particularly Punjab, with agents reaching out to ex-service personnel looking for jobs and other benefits. The latter are asked to enrol themselves, and subtly asked to provide details like names and phone numbers of serving commanders, deployment details and, where possible, information on troop movement," said a senior intelligence source. The former Army personnel are persuaded to part with information on the pretext that it is "routinely needed to fill up the forms before finding them suitable recruitment," said the source who said that though much of the details were fairly harmless, the risk could not be ignored. Meanwhile, officials zeroed in on the identity of McNaught Damini, who the airman Ranjith KK was talking with for the past several months on December 30, even as the arrested IAF employee told the police that he had given details of operation Inderdhanush - an India-UK joint bi-lateral exercise held in the United Kingdom in July, 2015 to the undercover agent. Top intelligence sources said McNaught is likely a woman fidayeen (suicide bomber) belonging to a Jammu and Kashmir-based terrorist group. The group is head-quartered in Muzaffarabad in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK). An analysis of McNaught's dialect and accent - she had long voice chats on Whatsapp and via Skype with Ranjith - and information regarding the geo-satellite positions of the number she was using, as well as the internet protocol addresses from which she was operating her Facebook account, led military intelligence sleuths to narrow down their search to the PoK-based outfit.
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